Thank you for saving me
by Demented Insane Spirit
Summary: -DISCONTINUED- AU Rin has been a poor girl for most of her life and when she finally loses everything she has, she begins to think that all hope is lost. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter One

DIS: (sigh) It's a sad day when my Inuyasha fics, which I have basically just begun to write, are more popular than my YuGiOh fics. (sulks) Ah, well...Rin/Sesshomaru _is_ popular these days. Anyway, I'm sorry for taking so long for getting this story up. You know how these things are. Well, please read below and enjoy!

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_Title: Thank you for saving me_

_Rating: T_

_Genre: Romance/Drama _

_Summary: AU; Rin has been a poor girl for most of her life and when she finally loses everything she has, she begins to think that all hope is lost. As she wanders the streets, she notices the rich, but cold, business man, Sesshomaru, walking by her little 'home'. He wouldn't have even looked at her unless she hadn't said brightly, "Good evening, sir!" Her words seemed were suspicious at first, but they never seemed like it afterward as he walked by every night just to hear her cheerful greetings..._

_Disclaimer:I do not own Inuyasha _

_Notes/Warnings: This will probably be a rather short fic, maybe two or three chapters at the least. Rin/Sesshomaru, and _no_, I will not fast-forward it. She is fourteen now and that is the age that she will remain! AU and set in present time. _

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_Chapter One_

Sesshomaru Inutaisho, the CEO of a major company, Ruei Incorporated, was glaring out his window. He hated days like this. In fact, he hated any day that he had to meet with a human. He preferred his youkai clients. At least _they_ had half a wit about them, while the humans... Well, the humans were just idiots and that was that. While he was brooding about his hate for the mortals, he noticed that it was beginning to rain. One of the reasons he hated spring so much was the unexpected weather. He never knew when to expect rain, cloudy skies, or heat. _It doesn't matter to me, either way, _he thought to himself, turning from the window and returning to his desk, settling behind it. He glanced at the clock and noticed with irritation that his human client was late. Then again, the majority of them always were late, so he supposed he shouldn't have expected anything more. Sesshomaru's expectations of the humans were too high. That was one of the reasons why he got so agitated. When they didn't meet his standards, then his temper would be played with - something his employees knew was not a good thing.

Sesshomaru heard a soft knock and the small imp, Jaken, hobbled in, smiling broadly. Seeing his employer's expression, he flinched and grimaced, before announcing, "Mr. Hatton is here to see you, sir." Sesshomaru moved his head slightly in what was deemed as a nod. Jaken hobbled out and Mr. Thomas Hatton entered. Sesshomaru felt his temper beginning to balance on a thin string at the sight of the cocky male. Had Sesshomaru known it was Thomas Hatton he was meeting, he would have denied the meeting. However, as Sesshomaru Inutaisho had already agreed to the meeting, there was no way to deny him now.

Thomas Hatton moved with the grace of a man that had been wealthy his entire life. He was elderly with gray hair and a perfectly trimmed mustache. He had sharp azure eyes and had tan, slightly wrinkled, skin. Despite his age of sixty-three, he seemed ten years younger. He was not hunched over, but straight and walked with an expensive cane because of the small limp in his right leg. But none of these traits were the reasons why Sesshomaru hated this man. The reason was because of the man's attitude and personality. He moved around the world in a long limo and he flaunted his beautiful, blonde daughter around, along with his just as lovely wife. Unlike Sesshomaru, Thomas Hatton inserted him into every situation and conversation. Even though he was a rank lower than Sesshomaru, he held himself high as though he were more important than the youkai. What was more, when it came to negotiating with Thomas Hatton, it _had_ to be his way or there was no deal. Often Hatton's colleagues ended up making it so _he_ would like it. However, with Sesshomaru, it was completely different. He wasn't about to let himself be manipulated by the cocky son of a bitch (well, that was what Sesshomaru secretly called Thomas Hatton.)

"Good afternoon, Mr. Inutaisho," Thomas Hatton greeted with a suave smile. Though it disarmed many other men and women alike, it had no effect on Sesshomaru. It never did. Sesshomaru merely stared at Thomas with an emotionless face. It caused the male to frown a bit, before he asked politely, "May I sit?" Sesshomaru's eyes flickered to a chair across from his desk in assent.

The problem Thomas always had with Sesshomaru was that he was lucky to get even a sentence from the youkai. As it happened, the only time that he got more than sentence from Sesshomaru Inutaisho was when he either pissed him off or they were arguing. It was not common for Thomas to win the arguements. After all, the youkai CEO could be extremely persuasive.

"Mr. Inutaisho, I am here to discuss a, ah, problem, my company seem to have," Thomas said, a bit nervously.

"Mmm," was Sesshomaru's noncommittal response. It was obvious that he could care less what problem Thomas' company was having.

Frowning, Thomas continued, "You see, our finances have become...dangerously low...and so, you see, in order to ensure that nothing drastic happens..." Thomas drummed his fingers on his thigh for a moment, before saying bluntly, "It would be very much appreciated if you could loan some money to me for my company's purpose, Mr. Inutaisho." Sesshomaru had been wondering how long it would take for Thomas to beat around the bush and he was slightly impressed by the small amount of time it took. Sesshomaru eyed Thomas and saw that the man was placing all his hope in Sesshomaru.

_Fool, _he thought, standing up. "As if I, Sesshomaru, am an idiot," he told Thomas with narrowed eyes. Thomas' eyes narrowed as well and he stood up, his hands braced against Sesshomaru's desk. "Do you honestly think that I would donate money for your own purpose? I know that you have plenty of money, so do not try and con me into giving you money that you would merely use to bring me and other companies down." Thomas glared at him resentfully and grabbed his cane from the side of the chair.

"Humph," Thomas snorted. "If you think that the other companies knew of my lie, you are sadly mistaken." A smirk curled the old man's mouth upward a fraction. "Which means that I will only have you to take care of, Mr. Inutaisho." Sesshomaru remained quiet, his amber eyes piercing the human. Thomas turned and limped out of the office, slamming the door behind him. Sesshomaru watched the door for a moment longer, before snorting softly to himself.

"Ridiculous." _If he thinks he can bring this Sesshomaru down so easily, then he will have another thing coming. _

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As a rule, Sesshomaru made sure that he didn't speak with anyone that was lower than the wealthy. That was why he did not speak to any of the people that served him. Rarely, anyway. He spoke to Jaken, his faithful servant, but only when it was absolutely needed. Today, his temper having risen to the extreme, if any of his servants looked at him he would either snap at them or glare mutinously at them. Either way, it had the desired effect. One servant that had served him coffee, had fainted when he glared at her. It was actually amusing and almost brought a smile to his lips. After this small incident, Jaken poked his head in, smiling. "Sir, I - Er..." He looked at the unconscious female on the carpeted ground and glanced at Sesshomaru, who frowned at him. Flinching under his gaze, Jaken continued, "Sir, Mr. Reynolds is on the phone."

"Mmm?" Sesshomaru took a drink of his coffee, considering on whether he wanted to speak to John Reynolds or not. John Reynolds was one of the humans he could actually handle. He was a serious, cynical human male that was unmarried and had no children. The only thing he was dedicated to was his work and nothing else. It was the only human that Sesshomaru supposed he could relate to. "Very well," Sesshomaru said at last. Jaken hurried in and held the black cordless out to his employer. Sesshomaru took it in his slender hand and held it up to his ear. "Reynolds."

"Mr. Inutaisho," John Reynolds greeted mildly, his deep voice filled with suspicion. "I'll get right to the point and avoid beating around the bush. Has Thomas Hatton visited you about having financial problems?"

"I suspect that he has seen you as well?" Sesshomaru asked, glancing at Jaken, who was waiting to return the phone to it's place. Jaken sensed him looking at him and bowed his head, understanding, and left the room. When the door was closed, Sesshomaru continued, "And did you give him money?"

"Of course not!" John snapped at him. "I'm not an idiot, Inutaisho! I wouldn't give that scheming bastard anything, let alone money. I know him well enough and had a feeling what he was trying to do."

"Mmm," was Sesshomaru's sound of agreement. He knew that John would never have given anything to Thomas Hatton and though he liked John Reynolds, he knew how selfish he was about his posessions, most especially his money. Because of his selfishness, he didn't take a wife, knowing that the only reason women went after him was because of his money and, well, his good looks as well. But Sesshomaru also knew that John despised Thomas with every cell within his body. Why he hated him was unknown to anyone but the two. "And the others?"

"I haven't heard from them yet, but the ones that denied him money will probably contact you or myself." He paused. "He isn't going to give up easily."

"No," Sesshomaru agreed, "but if he tries anything with this Sesshomaru, he should remember he's dealing with a youkai - not a human."

"Hmm..." John Reynolds considered his words for a moment, before saying in resignation, "I'll call you if I hear from any others."

"Very well."

"Careful, then." They hung up and Sesshomaru called for Jaken. The imp scittered inside a moment later, taking the phone from him, hurrying away. Sesshomaru's eyes moved along his drawing room and he frowned. He didn't care what happened to the others, but if Hatton made some bargain with them that would make them assist him in bringing him and Reynolds down, there would be some trouble. Narrowing his eyes, he took another drink of coffee. _Careful, then _Reynolds had told him.

_As if I need to be told that, _Sesshomaru thought to himself.

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DIS: Ooh, I like where this is going. (sweat drop) I actually didn't know what I was going to do with this fic at first - well, how to start it, anyway. Kind of a short chapter, actually...I hope Sesshomaru wasn't too OOC. I'm not sure when Rin will come in, but I've got an idea of _why_ she will be coming into the story. Please review and tell me how it is so far! Ciao!


	2. Chapter Two

DIS: Hello everyone and welcome back! I know it's been a little bit of a while since I last updated and I apologize, truly I do. I'm glad that everyone is, er, kind of anxious to see what happens with the story. Thanks toIYGU (read my comment at the end of the chapter, please, and that will answer your suspicions,) Midnight Chamber, Kyo-kun AND Hatsuharu are hot, HawkAngel XD, sphinx (I'm starting to think it's going to be a long chapter, instead...), Chew Chew, icygirl2 (yeah, it will probably be a longer story than I thought,) d2shny, EnchantressRai, DaughterofBastet, Moon'sHope, Neko Celes, Angel, and Kagura134.I take your reviews to my heart, hehehe.And now that I have said what I wanted to...Enjoy!

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**Important notice! **_I originally was going to make this a short-chaptered fic, but I think with the plot and ideas I have in mind, it's going to be maybe ten or more chapters. That's all I needed to say! _

_Chapter Two _

Sesshomaru had been sitting on his balcony ever since the phone call with John Reynolds. He supposed he should have expected the call. Thomas Hatton, when he started one of his nasty, sinister schemes, he involved everyone that _didn't _want to be involved. And just what else was expected of Hatton? The man had his ways with people, most especially the other company owners that he was so acquainted with. Sesshomaru, being the cynical "bastard" as Thomas so enjoyed calling him, was careful not to get caught in the schemes of this certain man. He never knew what he was up to. _And he calls me the bastard, _Sesshomaru thought to himself.

Snorting softly to himself, Sesshomaru lowered his head and eyed the long expanse of land that was his. Fortune, though it helped him immensely, often reminded him of his fellow wealthy. They, he reflected, act like a dog in heat. Where there was money, they went running. Sesshomaru stood, his eyes veiled by a shadow. The moonlight beat down on him mockingly and with a last dark look to his estate, he turned, thinking to himself, _Disgusting. _

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Night had descended upon the city and young Rin, a girl of fourteen, was hastily moving across the street, a bundle of food she had worked for in her arms. Some of it, however, she had stolen. Rin, being an orphan, had to fend for herself. There were other homeless orphans and people that assisted her, but for the most of it, she found her own food and she took care of herself. With difficulty, the female went to the abandoned storage garage and opened the door. It creaked in the silence and banged when she shut it. Rin sighed, shuffling through to where her bed was - or what was considered a bed to her. She sat down and grabbed a flashlight with batteries that were nearly dead. "I guess I'm going to have to steal some more batteries," Rin murmured to herself, opening the bundle she had and eyeing the contents in an almost derisive manner. She had a few small boxes of juice, bread, a pack of five cookies, some sandwich meat, and an apple. It wasn't much, true, but she somehow managed to live off it. _I have to make this last for a couple weeks, _Rin thought sadly, sighing to herself.

Rin didn't have many choices in life. She had to deal with being homeless and didn't get paid much for working. In fact, her employer simply assumed she was a normal girl. Thanks to an old woman, Mayala, she was able to bathe almost regularly. Mayala, being the sly dog she was, broke into a house daily because the man that lives there works graveyard and therefore, isn't at home. So, people that looked at Rin thought she either didn't know how to take care of herself or was poor. They had no idea how poor she was, though.

Rin ate the apple and then lay down to sleep in her filthy bed. She didn't care what bugs crawled on her anymore. She just wanted to sleep and hope that no one would come and steal her food - or anything else she had in her dump of a home. _It's better than the streets, _Rin told herself every time such a thought occurred. As she fell asleep, she could hear a police siren from the distance.

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Sesshomaru Inutaisho was no man to tamper with in the morning. His mood was always foul and the majority of the time, one of his servants either got fatally hurt or even killed. Of course, were it the case of a servant's death, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. His wealth could cover anything up. This morning he was in a worse temper than usual and everyone knew. He didn't even bother with demanding about where his breakfast was. He disregarded the absent of breakfast and went straight to his daily routine: shower, dress, and leave.

When he left that morning, the driver to his limo had come early, not wishing to anger Sesshomaru. It would be a sad day when anyone messed with him in the morning. Some of the rookies didn't know that yet. Sesshomaru's moods did not come out quite so boldly as others. His face was normal as always - blank with no emotion. That was the problem with him. Unfortunately, however, for Sesshomaru's driver, he did not wish to get a ride today. He wanted to walk, like he normally did on the most terrible mornings. His driver had trembled when he delivered this information, but Sesshomaru ignored that as well. Moving away from his estate, he went to the back roads, not wishing to confront any irritating mortal on the busy streets. After all, he had no desire to even brush up against one of the foul creatures. He _was_ a powerful youkai.

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Rin had woken late that morning and she knew she had simply by the angle of the sun through the broken windows. Her eyes popped wide and she gasped out, "I'm late!" She groaned in frustration and dragged herself out of the storage garage. She stood there, contemplating what to do when she heard soft footsteps to her left. Rubbing her hair, she glanced to the side to see a handsome youkai walking through the alleyway. _He's beautiful! _Rin thought enviously. _Oh, if only I could look so pretty. _She paused. _And rich. He looks plenty rich. _He was getting closer and she decided she would greet him politely.

"Good morning, sir!" She greeted with a bright smile as his gaze slid over her casually. His amber eyes narrowed on her in suspicion, but she simply continued to smile at him. Rin didn't mind if she repulsed him. She simply wanted to say hello to this dashing male that had wandered down this alley. When he was out of her sight, she broke into a run to the small site where she worked. _Even if it's only being an 'assistant' to the construction workers, it's still a job, _she thought as she hurried through the alleyways. _I wonder who that man is? Maybe I'll stay to wait and see if he comes by again! _

Her employer, Mr. Duos, turned in surprise to see her. "Rin, why are you so early?" He asked as she halted before him, breathing hard. "You're normally ten minutes late."

"What?" She looked genuinely confused. Her boss had never said a thing about her being late. "Why did you never say anything, sir?" Rin asked him, her brow furrowed. He shrugged, adjusting his hat. In all honesty, Rin admired her boss. He was a relatively attractive older man who had a kind heart and was cautious in everything he did.

"I never really cared whether you were ten minutes late or not. It's not that much, anyway," he informed her, his emerald eyes moving over her face speculatively, before he turned and shouted something to the workers. Rin blinked, then went to assist the workers, carrying a toolbox to one of the men that was gesturing to her. _He truly is a nice man, _she thought with a small sigh.

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Sesshomaru was frowning to himself in puzzlement when he arrived in his office. Never had there ever been a female outside that abandoned storage garage. The girl had never been in that alley at all, in fact. He didn't want to deliberate over her presence any longer than necessary, so he dismissed the rumpled image of the girl from his mind and turned to the more important he had on hand. Or, to be more specific and literal, on his desk. An envelope with Thomas Hatton's handwriting upon it was placed by his papers and Sesshomaru observed it for a moment. Jaken knocked on the door, and then entered, giving a nervous smile. "Sir? I - " Sesshomaru shot a glance to him, then spoke.

"Jaken. Open this letter and read it to me," he commanded.

"Ah...Yes, sir." Jaken took the letter from Sesshomaru's tesk and his hand instantly turned a dark blue color. Dropping the envelope, Jaken grabbed his hand, eyes wide. "M-my hand! I can't feel it!"

"Mmm." _Hm. That was close, but not close enough, _Sesshomaru thought with a narrowed gaze. An employee poked their head in the office in curiosity and Sesshomaru said, "Retrieve a doctor." The employee nodded rapidly and hurried away. The color was spreading up Jaken's olive skinned arm. _I should have suspected something like this from that human, _Sesshomaru thought with a flickered glance to the envelope. _He will not get this Sesshomaru so easily, though. _

After the doctor had given Jaken an antidote (it was shocking that it had affected him, even though he was a lesser demon,) Sesshomaru eyed his assistant wistfully. Though he didn't like to admit it, he really appreciated the imp's loyalty to him. Jaken would walk through fire and the most deadliest of things if only to serve his master. It was strange, really, this unbreakable devotion Jaken had to him. Sesshomaru treated him as he was nothing but a bug on the bottom of his shoe, however...However, Jaken did not seem to mind it as much as another would have.

"How insolent of them, do you not agree, sir?" Jaken muttered, rubbing his bandaged hand. "Who the devil would have been so absolutely stupid as to – "

"Thomas Hatton," Sesshomaru answered. Jaken looked startled and when he glanced up, he saw that his employer had a small, grim smile on his lips. He knew that when Sesshomaru Inutaisho smiled, something bad was going to happen. And, if he was correct, that could only mean that the youkai intended on getting revenge. "Perhaps I'll pay a _personal _visit to him."

_What is this? _Jaken wondered to himself, watching as Sesshomaru glanced from him to the window, his eyes hiding any thoughts that were running through his complex mind. _Sesshomaru never voices his thoughts to me, let alone anyone! He must be furious if it was truly Thomas Hatton that had done that. _Jaken grimaced and folded his hands in front of him, gazing down at them. _Sesshomaru...He has never liked Mr. Hatton. I can only imagine what he intends to do to him._

X 

It was lunch and Rin watched as the men left to their small groups – or in some cases, by themselves – and ate their lunches. Rin sat quietly by herself, watching them eat with a small smile on her lips. She was starving, of course, but that didn't mean she was going to go around, begging for food like a lost puppy. She pushed some of her hair from her face and peered up at the sky. The sun's rays beat gently down on her and the earth. It had been raining just the day before and yet today, it was a sunny, relatively warm day. The unexpected weather of spring was rather inconvenient for someone like her. She, after all, had to go out depending on the day's weather, just like every other homeless person. With a sigh, Rin dismissed her depressing thoughts and folded her hands in her lap demurely and stared down at them, keeping to herself quietly.

Mr. London Duos took a drink of his one-liter Cola and glanced around the workplace. His eyes landed on the young fourteen-year-old. He sighed through his nostrils and lowered his pop. His bushy eyebrows knitted together as he observed her. Mr. Duos doubted that Rin realized it, but he knew very well that she was homeless and that was the main reason he had offered her a job when he found her wandering around the construction site. Since that day, he hadn't seen her bring a lunch and he never saw her eat at all. Almost every night, he kindly offered for her to have dinner with him and his family, but she had simply waved a hand, smiled, and said, "No thank you, Mr. Duos. I'm okay for tonight." It was the same nine-word reply he received every time he asked and he hated that he never insisted.

Rin's job wasn't really ever official. He simply didn't like seeing a girl so young and sweet on the streets. He would remember his meeting with her for the rest of his life.

"Hey, you!" He called. Rin paused, tilting her head and giving him a puzzled look. "What are you doing, loitering about? Why aren't you at school?"

"Excuse me? What did you say? I couldn't hear you, sir." She was polite and when he approached her with his arms crossed, she didn't even flinch. Instead, Rin gave a smile and said, "Hello."

"Shouldn't you be at school, little girl?"

"I'm fourteen," she explained. "I'm not a little girl. And, I don't go to school." He scowled at her, and then realized she wasn't lying. He eyed her for a moment, but she didn't really have the look of a homeless person. She seemed clean enough, but she looked as though she didn't eat well enough. "What are you building here?" She gestured. "I tried asking the workers, but they shooed me away."

"We're building a bank," Mr. Duos told her. He hesitated, before asking, "Tell me, are you interested in a job?"

"A job, sir?"

"Yes. You can be the...assistant...of the workers. How would you like that?"

"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" She beamed at him with pure pleasure. "I'd like that a lot!"

"Good. What you'll do is, basically, get them their tools, help them with some things like...holding the nails or something. Got it?"

"Yes, sir. It sounds fun." He smiled at her.

"I bet it does."

"Do I get paid?"

"Of course you do. I'll pay you a little less than half of what they get paid. Alright?"

"Okay."

Luckily, the workers had no objections to having an assistant. Rin gradually grew on them, until they were treating her as their own daughter.

"Hey, Rin!" One of the workers called. "Come here for a second." The female glanced around, then stood and jogged over to the worker. He said something in a soft voice and gave her something, before shooing her off. She stared at something in her hand as she returned to the wood she had been sitting on. She eventually shoved it in her pants pocket and returned to sitting, though she a foolish little smile on her mouth. Mr. Duos shook his head, thinking, She acts like a child sometimes...

X

The day had been wearing on Sesshomaru after all the human idiots that came to speak with him. Most simply wanted to make alliances with his company, Riue Incorporated. Of course, Sesshomaru was no fool. He wasn't about to make some alliance with other CEO's that he had never heard of. Half of them, he suspected, were probably not even CEO's. So, he did the wise thing: he sent every single one of them away. Many protested and even tried to force their way inside his office, but Jaken held up well, along with his secretary (who, ironically, was a male youkai.)

Irritated, Sesshomaru decided to leave early. As he moved out of his company, a sudden idea came to his mind. His curiosity, which had been forced away earlier that morning, came back at full blast. He couldn't help but wonder whether that same girl would be in that alley. He moved through the alleys, and when he turned into the alley that he was the young female, he frowned, seeing it empty. She must have just been lurking this morning, he decided to himself. As he turned a corner, he was almost crashed into by the girl he had been expecting. She skidded to a halt, surprised that someone else was in the alleys.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening. "It's you from this morning. Hello, sir!" She smiled brightly at him and he eyed her almost suspiciously. She didn't seem like she was up to no good. She was carrying a small white bag in one of her hands and he wondered whether she was taking a shortcut home or she lived somewhere in these alleys. "Have a good evening." She moved around him, jogging down the same alleyway that he had come from. He frowned, standing there for a moment, before returning to his original path, his thoughts wandering to the appearance of the girl. The conclusion he came to when he arrived home was that she was homeless. There could be no other explanation. Though, how she could be so cheerful with such a dismal fate was beyond him. Human emotions made no sense to him and he didn't want to understand them. That was simply how it was.

And that is how it will stay, he told himself silently.

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DIS: Well, this was a longer chapter and not quite as boring since it had more dialogue.

**This is an important announcement! **I know this fic may seem like Moving up in the world, but I assure you I am not taking anything from that fic except I am borrowing the idea for Sesshomaru's last name. I can assure you that Rin will not end up as his secretary, nor will she be selling flowers, nor will Sesshomaru's mother, father, brother, or any of the other Inuyasha characters appear. This is more of a drama/suspense/romance one and I know it started out a little like that fic, but it isn't the same. Just wanted to make you all aware that I am not stealing any ideas. Though, that is a very excellent story.

Anyway, finishing with that, I hope that you guys liked the chapter! I must admit that I did a little better with this chapter then with the last. But then again, the first chapters are always a little slow. Any suggestions to make it better would be greatly appreciated. I support criticism, but only if it's going to help me. If it's just 'This could be better,' then...Well, how does that help? Sorry for the rants, guys. (sweat drop) It's kind of late to finish writing this...Please review and tell me how it's going so far! Ciao!


	3. Chapter Three

DIS: Welcome back everyone to _Thank you for saving me_. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad you are liking the story. And also, I know I said this was going to be a short fic, but I've discovered that this will probably be maybe as long as _Surprise my mind _or even longer. It's going to take awhile for the plot to build up. (sigh) And I was hoping to not have another story to worry about. (sweat drop) Anyway, here's chapter three, so enjoy!

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_Chapter Three_

The fire was crackling a low, offbeat melody. The flames that were so dangerous and mysterious were licking the top of the fireplace and were presently dancing in the dark, furiously fierce eyes of Thomas Hatton. He had been sitting in front of his fireplace for awhile and though he knew that there was no need to have it going (since it was spring), he knew that sitting in front of the fire, brooding, was the only comfort to him. Sighing a bit wearily, he raised a hand to his face and rubbed his forehead, muttering, "Things are not going as planned..."

"Sir?" Thomas turned to see his servant, Gerald Loveall, peering at him nervously. Gerald had been a faithful servant to Thomas since he first became the wealthy businessman he now was. The man was elderly with a sad face, a straight spine and reluctant, drooping eyes. He knew that working for Thomas would be more dirty work than with his father and it was wearying business. Luckily, however, no one knew that Gerald was a servant – and spy – of Thomas'. "I...came with some information on Mr. Sesshomaru Inutaisho, sir."

"Have you?" The younger male queried skeptically. "I wonder..." He sighed and stood, reflecting on the youkai he so rarely saw. The demon was dedicated entirely to his work and was careful what he revealed to people if he revealed anything at all. What troubled Thomas about him more than John Reynolds was how sly and clever Sesshomaru was. Thomas knew by confidences inside Sesshomaru's business, that he hadn't been the one that picked up the severely poisoned letter sent to him. Of course, he had it specifically ordered by someone that could handle such a thing. Either way, he was not pleased that his trick – weak and feeble, though it was – had not worked. "How, pray tell, Gerald, did you manage to get information?"

"Well, I confess...It was a bit of an accident." Raising his eyebrows, Thomas turned to look at him, leaning on his cane. "You see...I was taking the alleys from my other job – the one with construction, you recall?" Thomas nodded. "Well, anyway, I was taking those alleys when I saw a young girl that works with me – Rin, I think her name was – and she was talking to Mr. Inutaisho. Not quite talking, mind you, but he didn't seem too bothered by it. Had an odd expression on his face, actually." Thomas' eyebrows shot upward, almost vanishing to his hairline.

"Is that so? What interesting information you've brought me, Gerald. And this girl, Rin, what is she like? Is she around his age? Do you think he might – "

"She's, er, fourteen, sir," Gerald interrupted in embarrassment.

"Point being?" Thomas asked irritably. "Are you truly as naïve as you look, Gerald? Most businessmen take girls around that age into their beds. They enjoy it," he finished with a shrug. Gerald's face seemed to go paler and slackened in surprise. Apparently, the man was as naïve as Thomas as implied. But then again, Gerald was an old-fashioned man and didn't exactly revel in the thought of men sullying themselves in females so young. Clearing his throat, Gerald gave a firm nod, as though reassuring himself. Smiling thinly, knowing that he had shaken Gerald up, Thomas continued, "As I was saying. This girl, what is she like? Perhaps the type that Sesshomaru might enjoy? Eh?"

"Ah, I...um, what?" Gerald looked startled at the question, before his pasty cheeks flushed a dull brick red. It looked unbecoming on his old, withered face. "I...am not sure if Mr. Inutaisho would enjoy her, sir," he answered in embarrassment. "As for what she's like..." He shrugged. "I'm not exactly certain how to explain it. She isn't unhandsome, if that is what you are asking. She is a lovely girl, but a bit too skinny. I think she's homeless, actually. Er, uh, anyway, she is a perfectly fine girl. Has a good heart, always has a smile to give to anyone she comes upon and is always willing to help."

"So a pure, virgin female, in other words?" Thomas concluded, looking thoughtful.

"I wouldn't...Excuse me?"

"Stop being such a prude, Gerald!" Thomas scolded with a grin. "Would you say that she's a virgin?"

"Sir...I don't...like where this conversation seems to be going," Gerald said uncomfortably. Why his employer would bring up the topic of her virginity made him cynical and slightly protective of the innocent Rin that all the men at work seemed to enjoy having around. He was certain that if anything happened to their bright assistant, each of them would react like a shielding father would. They all knew she was an orphan and homeless. It was what made them accept her and bring her closer to them. Gerald wondered if he should have even said anything about Rin talking to Sesshomaru.

"Listen, if she's what she says she is, I could easily make her bait for Sesshomaru! I could pay her and she could try and coax Sesshomaru to like her. All men like gentle-handed, sweet girls like her. He'll be under her mercy!" Gerald felt his blood run cold and he swallowed.

"Sir, I cannot allow this."

"If you get in my way, Gerald, I will eliminate you personally," Thomas told him, limping past him. "I always get my way – whether my force or persuasiveness." He gave a toothy grin, making Gerald almost whimper with fear. He couldn't tell Rin, though. That would be filed under the category of 'getting in his way.' "Now, get out of my house. I'll see you when you have information for me again, Gerald. Goodnight."

_I've practically put her at the devil's mercy, _Gerald realized sadly. _I am very sorry Rin. I truly am. _

X

The next morning, Rin was up early again, peeking out of the door to see if the dashing stranger she had met yesterday was going to come down the alley. _I'll give it five minutes, _she decided to herself. _And, if he doesn't come, I'll just assume he didn't walk today. _Rin glanced down at a shard of glass by her foot and picked it up, flicking a glance at her reflection. Thanks to Mayala, who had broke into the house last night to give Rin the chance to clean herself up, she wasn't looking filthy. Her creamy skin was clear of any dirt or grime and her black hair that went to her waist was glittering in a clean manner. There was a small ponytail at the top of her head that was her usual hairstyle – if that was even what you could call it.

Tossing the glass shard back to the ground, she peered outside and frowned, seeing that he had still not arrived. _Oh well. _A little disappointed, she exited the storage garage, smoothing out her dress that went to her knees. _I wish I had money to buy different clothes. I only have four things to wear..._ Sighing almost miserably, she left down the alley and this time, she crashed headlong into someone. An odd, but pleasant smell drifted to her nostrils briefly, before two slender, long and sharp-nailed hands steadied her. Blinking, she peered up with her soulful brown eyes to see the handsome man from yesterday. His eyebrows had snapped down and he was observing her with a cold, calculating look. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized hastily, backing away from him, thoroughly embarrassed with herself. "I wasn't really...Um, I'm sorry."

"...It's fine," he answered in an indifferent tone. Rin's eyes widened a fraction. This was the first time she had heard him say anything, let alone to her! His amber eyes flickered to the storage garage, before turning to her. "You live there." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Ashamed that he had figured it out, she bowed her head, nodding. "Hm. I see." Without another word, he passed her. Curiously, Rin watched after him.

_He's so strange, _she thought to herself, _but he has such nice hair. _Rin seemed to completely bypass the fact that he was handsome and had a terribly masculine voice. All she seemed to notice was his long, silver hair. _I wonder what those markings are on his face, though. He can't be a...youkai, can he? _Fear tingled her spine and she swallowed, hurrying to the construction site. _Even if he is...he doesn't seem to be a bad one. _Once again, her mind drifted to his hair. _Such pretty hair..._

X

At the end of the day, he watched with dismay as Rin happily jogged away towards the alleys. He could feel panic building in his chest. He wanted to tell her to come back, to beware of strangers and explain to her how merciless the world is – but he knew that was impossible. He couldn't risk his and his wife's life like that. Tugging at what was left of his gray hair, he stormed away, ashamed of himself. He wished that he hadn't said anything to Thomas Hatton.

_I am so very sorry, Rin, _he thought, closing his eyes. _Truly, I am. _

X

As Rin moved through the alleys with a smile, she realized that she wasn't the only one in her small little "neighborhood." She could hear something ahead. It sounded like a stick tapping at the concrete. Tipping her head to the side in a curious gesture, she passed her own alleyway and went ahead to another where she found an elderly rich man limping down it. Biting her lip, she hesitantly approached him and gently laid her hand on his arm. "Excuse me? Are you lost?" The man turned and blinked. "Oh. Um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Again, nervously, she halted her words and backed away from him. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"Are you Rin?" He asked in a curious tone. A smile curled his lips upward behind his mustache. The friendly gesture seemed to ease some of her anxiety, but she couldn't help but remember that he had addressed her by her name. Not many knew her, especially not a rich-appearing man like him. "Don't be afraid, sweetheart, I don't mean to hurt you." He flashed a charming smile to her. "I just happen to be a friend of a man you work with."

"Oh...Yes, um, I'm Rin," she answered, offering her own bright smile. "What can I help you with, sir?"

_Yes, Gerald was quite right about her, _Thomas thought in satisfaction. _Pretty, polite, and sweet as sugar. She is just what I need to succeed in bringing Sesshomaru down. _"Tell me, have you seen a wealthy youkai wandering around here?" Her smile lessened a bit and she gazed at him, almost in surprise. "Yes, I see you have...His name is Sesshomaru Inutaisho. I have a proposition for you, darling."

"...A proposition?" She repeated, suddenly cynical. "And it has to do with Mr. Inutaisho?"

"Yes," he answered, beaming, "it does. I'm glad that I'm not working with an imbecile. Anyway, I want you to...work your way into his heart, darling, and get as much information about him as you can."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't wish to harm him or – "

"_Harm_ him?" Thomas repeated, acting horrified at such a thought. He let out a boisterous laugh, before continuing with a bright expression, "My dear girl, I don't want to harm him! I simply want to know him better. Surely you understand?" Thomas could see that she was trying to figure out whether he was deceiving her or not. He didn't think that she would be able to see through his plan. He doubted that such an uneducated female would realize what he was really doing. _Making my way to destroy him, _Thomas thought viciously.

"...Do I get something in return, sir?" She questioned curiously. Smiling in triumph, Thomas held up a large box for her to see. "A box?"

"It's what's _in_ the box that matters, darling," he told her. "Fifty-thousand dollars for your cooperation." She gasped, her eyes shooting wide.

"_Fifty-thousand?_" She repeated, aghast. "That's such an extraordinary amount of money for something so simple, sir!" Rin eyed him, then looked at the box, appearing uneasy. _I don't know what this man will do with the information I get of Mr. Inutaisho, but so much money! I need money like that. I wouldn't be homeless ever again! _She raised her eyes to Thomas and he knew he had won her over. "I don't believe I got your name, sir."

"Mr. Thomas Hatton," he introduced with a grin. "Have we got a deal, my dear?" He held his hand out and Rin lifted her petite hand. She hesitated, her fingers inches from his, before shaking his hand.

"We have a deal, sir," she answered quietly.

X

DIS: (grimace) I don't know where this story is going or if it's very good. I'm..._hoping_ that I can make something out of it. Also, sorry for such a short chapter! It'd be nice for some suggestions or any ideas at all. I happily accept constructive criticism. So, if you guys don't like it, be blunt and say that you don't. If you do...Well, hooray! Please review and tell me how it is. Ciao!


	4. Chapter Four

DIS: We're here back with the fourth chapter of _Thank you for saving me_. (sigh) I honestly don't know where I'm going with this story. It certainly isn't as good as _Surprise my mind. _Thanks for the reviews everyone! And now, for the fourth chapter; read and enjoy!

X

Chapter Four 

Sesshomaru didn't know why he was bothering with walking down these alleys. He didn't understand why he was so tempted to see that girl again. She intrigued him, he supposed. She was small, vulnerable, and most people would be miserable in the state she was in. She, however, always seemed to have a smile for him when he came back. Granted, this morning, crashing into him embarrassed her, so she did not greet him with a smile. He supposed, though, that she was very surprised when he actually spoke to her. _She has a poor self-esteem, _Sesshomaru commented silently to himself. By his brief observations this morning, he could tell she did not like being seen in such a dreadful condition. _She has reason to have low self-esteem, though. She is homeless, poor, and is an orphan. _He almost snorted to himself. Humans, he reflected, never seemed to be able to care for their pups correctly. That is to say, their children.

Sesshomaru turned a corner, entering the alleyway where the girl was always found. His eyes narrowed as he saw that she was sitting outside the storage garage, looking innocently carefree. He couldn't quite bring himself to believe that she wasn't up to something. He moved forward and she started, whipping her head to the side in alarm. "Oh, sir, it's you." Her face lit up and some of his unease vanished, though not completely. He continued down the alleyway and stopped in front of her. She blinked, then shifted uncomfortably. "Can I help you with something, sir?"

_Why, _he wondered to himself, _does she interest me? _"No," he answered. "I am, however..._curious_...as to how you can offer a smile to a wealthy man such as me when my type of people are the ones that have ruined your life. You cannot honestly say that you are not the least bit jealous of me." Her smile fell and she stared at him, apparently surprised by his deductions. As she gazed at him, he realized that she wasn't sure what to make of his statement. After a long moment, she slid her gaze from him to her feet that were covered with beat up sandals.

"I think, sir, that despite what position you have in life, you should never have regrets and never hold a grudge or be bitter because of something one person did." She raised her eyes to his face, a solemn expression on her young features. "Simply because one person did something does not mean that you should be bitter towards anyone who is like that person. Besides," she continued, standing up and inching away from him, "it is no one's fault but my own that I am like this. I could go into a foster program and have a better life or go into a homeless shelter." Sesshomaru eyed her thoughtfully.

_An odd girl, _he decided, _but still, she intrigues me. Even more so now that I have seen her views. _"...What is your name, girl?" She blinked.

"My name is Rin, sir. And you are Mr. Sesshomaru Inutaisho, am I right?"

"Yes, indeed, that is who I am." He paused, suspicion flooding his mind. "How did you find that out?"

"I read about you in a paper recently," Rin lied.

"I see." Sesshomaru was dubious, but he supposed that he shouldn't press the matter. She may have obtained his name on accident through much less..._appropriate_ or innocent means. Either way, the youkai wasn't about to dismiss the matter quite so carelessly. Eventually, it would return to his thoughts, but for the time being, he wanted to see just how this girl had ended up in such a predicament. "Tell me, girl, how did your parents die?"

"I'm not sure," Rin replied, casually walking across the narrow alleyway. "I just got a call that they were found dead in their hotel room – they were on a trip at the time." She grimaced. "I knew the Child Protection Services – or whatever it's called – would be coming to take me into foster care and I thought I might be able to take care of myself." She glanced at Sesshomaru through the corner of her eye. He was eyeing the building in front of him with a blank expression. "I'm getting along fine so far."

"Hmm...What do you think that happened to your parents?"

"My parents...used to be loved by everyone. They had a good amount of money, a nice life, good jobs – they were bound to make an enemy or two. I found out when my father was arguing with two of these men – these lawyers he worked with – that he had many enemies in his office. I think it was probably one of them that killed my parents. They were extremely rich, too, the men my father worked with." She paused, clasping her hands behind her back and gazing up at the sun pensively. "But I'm not going to blame the rest of the rich for what those men did. I'm not going to blame lawyers, either. I only blame those men for their jealousy." She turned to Sesshomaru, smiling. "I don't regret running from my home, though, sir."

"Oh?" Sesshomaru raised a smooth eyebrow, but showed no other emotion.

"What about you, sir?" She asked politely. "Do you have any regrets?" Sesshomaru didn't answer her and he didn't really intend to. His thoughts wandered to when he had inherited the company from his father and ended up cutting off all ties from his half-brother, Inuyasha. He knew that his father would have preferred to help him through life, but Sesshomaru had no intention of doing that. He loathed Inuyasha and so, in cutting off his ties, he also discontinued giving him money. After many protests from Inuyasha and begging from his fiancée, Kagome, the two of them vanished and Sesshomaru had yet to see them again. In a way, Sesshomaru supposed he regretted cutting his ties off from Inuyasha. His father's last wish was probably for them to stay together as a family and Sesshomaru had betrayed that wish. He had, in a way, betrayed his own father. His father, who he had admired and actually cared for.

"No," he said at last, "I have no regrets." He glanced at Rin, who was watching him carefully. She looked disbelieving. "...Perhaps, only one." _What would it hurt to tell her? She is a mere orphan and doesn't have anyone to tell. _"My brother."

"You regret your brother?" She inquired in a puzzled tone.

"I regret cutting ties from him. My father wished for us to be with each other as brothers, but I betrayed that wish, betraying my father in the process." He glanced at her to see she had turned her gaze back to the sky. She squinted against the sunlight, but he could tell she was turning what he said in her head. After a moment, she turned her eyes back to him and her lips curled upward slightly.

"No one should have to live with regrets," Rin said in an almost childish manner. "When they do, they should try and redeem themselves!"

Sesshomaru snorted, "Ridiculous. I don't desire redemption, most especially from my brother."

"That's your decision, sir," Rin told him with a queer expression on her face. "I was only giving a suggestion." He glared at her in response. She didn't so much as flinch beneath his glare. Instead, much to his surprise, she broke into a grin. Sesshomaru frowned, thoroughly puzzled by this female. She wasn't anything he had seen or heard of. She lectured him about how life should be lived and smiled when he glared at her. As always, he found himself fascinated by her attitude and character.

"Hm...Don't you have any other clothes?" He asked, glancing at her sandals, then at her dress.

"I can't afford new clothes," she pointed out to him, uncomfortable with the sudden change of topic. "When I get money – if I ever do – I have to get food and water. I can't worry about something as trivial as clothing!" Sesshomaru once again glanced at what she was wearing. She seemed perfectly clean with glistening hair and a dirt-free face, but her dress was speckled with dirt and dust and her sandals were torn up and almost too small for her. Feeling slightly generous towards the girl, he sighed through his nostrils and decided he would buy her a little "gift" tomorrow.

"I see," he said slowly, feigning disinterest. "Where will you be tomorrow afternoon?"

"Here, sir. This is where I always am during the afternoon." He nodded slowly.

"Then I will see you tomorrow, young Rin." She tipped her head to the side, curious as to why he was actually announcing that he would be seeing her.

"Oh...Alright. Goodbye then, Mr. Inutaisho, sir." She flashed one of her brilliant smiles, before escaping inside the storage garage. Sesshomaru watched the door for a moment, before continuing down the alleyway. His conversation with her seemed to lighten his mood up slightly. Indeed, she was an interesting person to come by.

_I hate being considerate, though, _he added to himself sourly. If he was found actually giving a gift to some homeless girl, not only would he be less feared, but his reputation would be torn to shreds. _Which gives me all the reason to _not_ buy her a new outfit. _He paused. _But she really could use something else. If I'm ever to exchange so much as a word to her, then she is going to be in suitable clothing. I will not be found conversing with a barbarian. _Almost swearing aloud – which was very rare with Sesshomaru Inutaisho – he realized that he was becoming a softy in regards to the girl. He vowed to himself that he would be more careful about approaching her.

X

That night, as Rin was moving around the alleys thoughtfully, greeting the other homeless that she knew, a thought occurred to her. Was this man – Thomas Hatton – really only trying to get information on Sesshomaru Inutaisho? Rin had no idea what that man would do with the information she provided. _But I need that money so badly, _she thought despondently. _I don't want to hurt Mr. Inutaisho by giving information to that man, but the _money_! If I had that much money, it could really turn my life around. _Sighing, she lowered her eyes to her feet. _I wish there was an easier way. _

"Oh, Riiin!" A voice called out. A woman that was in her twenties, but appeared in her thirties, came jogging to the younger girl. Panting from the short job, she clutched her stomach in pain. Mayala was a twenty-seven year old that already had gray hair and wrinkles. She had dirty blonde hair that was knotted so thickly that it hardly looked like hair anymore. Her clothes were ripped and were so filthy that they had lost their color. "There you are." Mayala sighed and crossed her arms across her chest. "I've been looking all over you, little lady. Are you going to need to bathe tonight?"

"Yes," Rin answered, smiling. "Mayala, can I ask you something?" They moved away from the alleys towards the residential area, where their 'Bathing Department' was located.

"Sure. You can ask me about men, seduction – anything, sweetheart," Mayala assured her with a grin. Mayala used to be a prostitute, before she discontinued it. No one would pick her up, so she decided to give it up. Of course, her family found out and then they disowned her. Mayala once used to be in a wealthy family and they didn't accept anything like that. It would tarnish their good name and rumors would fly like wildfire. Somehow, for the last ten years, Mayala had kept a good outlook on life, not minding too much that she was homeless. Rin, however, could never really get used to the crude comments that sometimes flew from her friend's mouth.

"Would you do anything for money? I mean, if it was offered by a wealthy gentleman?" Rin asked hesitantly. Mayala turned her head to her, blinking in surprise. She stopped and took a hold of Rin's shoulders.

"Rin," Mayala said seriously, "I know young girls like you are eager to lose their virginity – " Rin gaped at her, her eyes shooting to twice their size. She began to protest, but Mayala continued, " – but you never want to end up like me. Don't sell something that precious for money. Okay?"

"I...I wasn't talking about that, Mayala," Rin whispered in embarrassment. Mayala looked surprised, then embarrassed as well. Clearing her throat, she blushed and looked at Rin in a questionable manner. "This man wanted me to collect information on another rich man and I said yes. He's going to pay me fifty-thousand dollars for it when I'm finished!"

"_Fifty grand?_" The latter whispered in disbelief. "Wow, that's a pretty damn good amount of money, sweetheart." They paused at the house and Mayala's fingers shot across the buttons for the security alarm and the door unlocked. They inched inside, before going to the bathroom for Rin to bathe. "That's a really good amount – especially for something so trivial." Mayala leaned against the counter as Rin undressed in the bathtub, the curtain closed. Tossing her clothes to Mayala to hold, she turned on the water and started on her dirty flesh.

"I know," Rin said as she rubbed soap on her body, "that's why I'm a bit hesitant. Mr. Inutaisho is really nice to me! Well...I guess nice isn't the word, but he's respectable to me."

"Inutaisho?" Mayala repeated. "You've spoken to _Sesshomaru_ Inutaisho?"

"Um...Yes..." Rin answered shyly.

"You're just full of good luck, aren't you?" The older female gave a bark of laughter that sounded more masculine than feminine. "Ah...I'm really surprised by you. I thought you hated wealthy people?"

"I don't hate them," Rin protested. "I never said that. I said that it was wrong to hate them."

"Right. I keep forgetting what a do-gooder you are." In the shower, Rin scowled, but did not respond to the comment. She knew that Mayala was trying to make her get angry, but it wasn't something Rin did often. Though Mayala had been baiting her ever since they first met, Rin knew better than to take the bait. Especially from Mayala. "Anyway, what kind of information do you need to collect?"

"Any, I suppose. He wasn't really specific."

"When do you see this old gentleman of yours again?"

"Um...He said he'd contact me. I don't know how, but I think he's going to give me some time to converse with Mr. Inutaisho, I suppose."

"Huh! Interesting!" She paused. "I wonder why all the guys are getting interested in you, Rin? You have the potential to be a prostitute!" After Rin rinsed her hair, she shut the water off and Mayala handed her a towel.

"I don't want to get a prostitute. It's an extremely dirty business and not only that, there are terrible men out there," Rin informed her, drying off.

"You are so uptight," Mayala remarked. "When you get that money, you had better get the hell out of here and meet some guy that will loosen you up." Rin sighed, shaking her head a bit and dressing in her dirty clothes. "By the way, that bra looks almost too small for you." Rin's cheeks flooded with color and she muttered a meek, "No," in response. Mayala raised an eyebrow, then grinned, saying, "It looks like you're going to start wearing a B-cup finally!" Rin stared at her in horror. "What? It's true."

"...Let's...let's go now," Rin murmured, her cheeks flushed. She didn't _want_ to grow any more. She wanted to keep her petite figure. She preferred all male attention averted from her. True, there were a couple older men that were kind to her, but it was only because they knew she had no home and felt bad for her. So long as she didn't get any other attention, she would be fine.

X

Jaken sighed, returning from the errand his employer had sent him on. He wasn't sure what to think about the errand. He looked at the bag in his hand and almost felt his heart drop. He didn't really go to any expensive place. He went to Old Navy and bought a few simple, but befitting outfits. He had also bought...unmentionables, though he hadn't been ordered to by Sesshomaru. He just thought he might as well since he had extra money. Along with that, he bought white tennis shoes and a pack of socks. _I must say that I have a bit of a fashion sense, _Jaken thought proudly to himself. He knocked on the door to Sesshomaru's study and waddled in. "The things that you asked for, sir," he said, holding the bag up. Sesshomaru took it without a word. "Er, if I may ask, sir, why are you buying girl's clothing?"

"A gift," Sesshomaru replied shortly. "Don't you have other things to do?" Jaken sweated at the question. Sesshomaru was irritated.

"Um...Yes, sir...If you'll excuse me." When Jaken was out of the room, Sesshomaru took an outfit out and raised a smooth brow.

_Jaken seems to have a taste for fashion, _Sesshomaru commented silently to himself.

X

Rin sighed to herself, sitting on the steps of the storage garage. _I wonder where Mr. Inutaisho is? He told me that he would be here this afternoon. I don't think it's five yet, and I'm sure it's after one, so he should be here soon. _She leaned back and eyed her beat-up sandals. _I wish I could get new shoes. This ones are hardly worthy of being called sandals anymore. These look like something Roman peasants would wear. _She heard a sound and turned, smiling in greeting to Sesshomaru. "Hello, sir."

"A gift," he said, holding out a box.

"Um...The thought is nice, but I don't want a gift. Thank you, though." His eyes narrowed on her.

"Take it." His voice had a tone of warning and she took the box, deciding that since he was kind enough to have thought of it, she might as well see what it is. She opened the box and stared down at it, for a moment, before breaking into a grin.

"You bought me clothes!" She rummaged through it, then blushed. "Um...All types of clothes."

"...What?" Sesshomaru had only looked at one outfit. He hadn't see the bras, panties, or the socks. He also was not the one to pack the things in a box. He had Jaken do that, too.

"Sir, you bought me...unmentionables!" She exclaimed, extremely embarrassed.

"_I _did not buy you them," Sesshomaru told her smoothly after a short pause of surprise. "My assistant bought the clothes for you on my orders."

"Um...Well, please thank him for...shopping...for me." She closed the box and offered a shaky smile. "It was nice of you, though, sir, to think of getting me clothes. I did not know you cared."

"I don't care," he answered sincerely, "I simply thought you might want something new to wear other than...that." Rin wasn't the least bit offended by him admitting he didn't care about her. She had half-expected a response similar to that.

Smiling, Rin said in a warm voice, "Thank you, Mr. Inutaisho."

X

DIS: Hmm...(sweat drop) Really, where am I going with this! I feel like I'm stalling the story for some reason. Do not worry though! I completely intend on finishing it! I will! Somehow...someway. Ahem. Right. Anyway, please review before you leave and tell me how it was. Constructive criticism is always welcome and as for flames...Well, they are ignored. Ciao!


	5. Chapter Five

DIS: (rubs the back of her head) Hehehe...Yes, well, it's been awhile, has it not? I apologize, but I've been so worked up with YuGiOh lately, I haven't had any inspiration for this story. So! I've got a bit of a layout for this story, more or less, after watching many Sesshomaru and Rin related episodes. (rubs hands together) _Now _I know where I am going with this story, mwahaha! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate every one of your reviews! And now, after many days of waiting, here is the fifth chapter of _Thank you for saving me_.

X

Chapter Five 

Spring. It was a beautiful and innocent season that resembled love and the newborns of life. However lovely it was and however innocent, Inuyasha could not bring himself to be happy during this season. It always reminded him of his downfall. It always reminded him of his father and his despised older half-brother. No, that's not true. Not everyone despised him. Most of the women adored him and some of the men admired him, but as for Inuyasha Inutaisho, he absolutely resented his brother. He probably wouldn't if his bastard of a brother hadn't cut off the ties between the two. Now, Inuyasha didn't so much as speak of his brother, let alone speak _to_ Sesshomaru. Kagome had been extremely disappointed that Sesshomaru had cut off the money supply, as she called it, and even more so that he pretty much disowned Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, do you want to go to Dairy Queen?" Kagome asked, looking out the window of their car. She had insisted on him going out for a while with him and he had no choice but to agree. They had been driving around, doing this and that all day and he simply wanted to go home, see what was on TV and enjoy what remained of his weekend. "Inuyasha, did you hear me?" She demanded, scowling at him. He grunted in response and she sighed. _All I want is for us to be happy, but he's hardly smiled at all since Sesshomaru took over Riue Incorporated and cut off his ties to the Inutaisho family _and _fortune. _"Inuyasha!"

"_What?_ I said yes, didn't I?" He snapped, turning from sulking at the window to look at her, his eyebrows arched downward. Kagome's eyebrow twitched and her grip on the steering wheel tightened and she swerved to the right a bit. He let out a high-pitched yelp, clutching to his seatbelt – which he hadn't put on.

"Put on your seatbelt, for one! And _two, _speak to me with _words_ instead of grunts! You're not a caveman, Inuyasha, you have managed to learn to speak – at least I _hope_ you have..." Inuyasha scowled at her in irritation, muttering something bitter underneath his breath, before sighing.

"Fine, let's go to Diary Queen if you want. They had better have something good there!"

"Don't worry, Inuyasha, they do!" Inuyasha leaned his cheek into his hand and stared out the window thoughtfully. For the last two years, he had been sulking all his life. It was only recently that the two of them had settled their debts and were finally able to live a comfortable life. Inuyasha was working relatively well as an engineer. It paid well, considering what kind of job it was. But, since Inuyasha was stronger than the average hanyou and he worked hard, he got one of the better paying jobs. Kagome was working as a hospital secretary and it, too, paid well. After having paid off their debts and settling their mortgage payment on their house, they were finally able to buy the things they wanted. Inuyasha was pleased with how his and Kagome's life was going, though he was still very sore about what Sesshomaru had done to him. It was what had made them have such a difficult life.

_Our father wanted us to remain a family, even after he died, _Inuyasha thought to himself, watching as two children ran after their parents. _He knew that we hated each other. He was the one that always broke our fights up. He knew that Sesshomaru was the bigger jackass among the two of us, so why did he have _him _inherit father's company? Why did _he_ inherit the family fortune? He should have known that Sesshomaru would use all that power to bring me down. _Inuyasha closed his golden eyes briefly, pursing his lips. _No one would even guess that I was my father's child by looking at me. All I got was his eye color. Sesshomaru was the one that _really_ got his looks. He looks almost exactly like father. _Sighing through his nose, Inuyasha turned his attention to the front, watching as Kagome slid into the turn lane and then turned into Dairy Queen. Inuyasha had never been to Dairy Queen. He hoped that the food wouldn't make him sick. _Ugh, like when I ate at Burger King. Kagome _did_ warn me their food wasn't very good, but nooo, I _insisted_ on going there with Miroku. Well. At least he got sick, too, so we suffered together. Pity that he, Shippo, Kirara, and Sango moved..._

"So, what do you want, Inuyasha? There are a lot of treats here." Inuyasha peered past her to the menu and then sat back.

"...Let's go somewhere else."

"What? Why? I thought you said you wanted to come here?"

"Can we just go somewhere else? Like Destiny Path or somewhere?"

"But Destiny Path is so expensive! That's where rich people go and we're only middle-class, Inuyasha!" She told him with a scowl. He sighed again, looking irritable. "Alright, _fine_, but this means we can't eat out for the rest of the week."

"..._Fine_," he said at last after a pause. He preferred eating out than waiting for Kagome to cook dinner, but he supposed it was worth it. Destiny Path was one of the most popular places to eat and what Kagome said was true. It was also a very expensive place where mostly rich businessmen and their family went to eat. However, Inuyasha knew that he wouldn't run into his brother there. Even when they were living in the same house, Sesshomaru had hated eating out and if they ever did, he stayed home instead of going with them. Inuyasha had a feeling that Sesshomaru hadn't changed and refused to go out to eat. _Sesshomaru only went out for one thing and that was for espressos. Or whatever they were. Coffee's gross to me whether you sugar it up or you don't. _

"Alright, Inuyasha, we're here," Kagome announced as they pulled into a vast parking lot. "Are you sure we don't need a reservation?"

"Kagome, you only need a reservation if there's a specific table that you want to sit at. We went to this place all the time when we were dating and you know as well as I that they always have a table to spare."

"I guess...Destiny Path _is_ huge inside and they have a lot of waiters and waitresses." She paused, glancing at Inuyasha as they head inside. "But don't you think we look out of place?"

"Who cares? I just want to eat." She sighed, wishing that her husband could think with something _other_ than his stomach for once. The waiter looked at them critically when they came in, but led them to a table anyway. He handed them two menus, watching their expressions carefully. Seeing that they weren't shocked by the prices, he left them, saying he'd return with white wine. Kagome chose her meal after Inuyasha did and they waited for the waiter to return. Inuyasha looked around in mild interest and remarked, "There's a lot of people in here I haven't seen in a while."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Like over there is Madison Rosewood. She's the husband of some big-shot lawyer, but from what my father told me, she's always been unfaithful. That must be one of the guy's she's sleeping with. And, let's see...That's Don Russet. He keeps to himself. He owns a whole chain of companies that deal with selling technology and stuff. I think he came over once in awhile when my old man was alive. Oh and that's Thomas Hatton over there. I've never trusted that guy. There always seems to be something bad on his mind."

"Wasn't he at dinner one of the times I came?" Kagome asked, looking over to the handsome elderly man. He was speaking with another man, who had a grave look on his face. He nodded his head every once in a while in agreement to something Thomas was saying.

"Yeah. He can be charming, but there's something sneaky about him..." Kagome nodded slightly.

"I know. He was nice to me when I was there, but his eyes...they didn't seem right." She shook her head and the waiter returned. He took their orders, gave them white wine and placed the bottle in the center of the table, picking up their menus. After asking if they needed anything else and receiving a negative answer, the waiter left. Inuyasha and Kagome drank their wine quietly, before a soft voice came to their ears.

"A moment, please." They turned to see Thomas Hatton standing at their table, beaming at them. "Hello, Miss...Kagome, was it?" She nodded, offering a small smile. "And hello, Mr. Inutaisho. It's been such a long time since I've last seen you. How are you doing? You two must be married now!"

"Yeah, we are. What of it?" Inuyasha asked, suspicious.

"Well, I saw you two looking my way and thought to myself, 'Isn't that the late Mr. Inutaisho's youngest son?' so I came over here to see how you were doing. I haven't had any words with your family – except for your older brother, Sesshomaru, of course. We are businessmen, after all, and as that, we must correspond with each other."

"I bet," the hanyou ground out. Thomas' eyes flashed, causing Kagome to be uneasy.

"Sesshomaru is a very good man of business...Though, with how things are going, he'll be ruined."

"What?" Kagome spoke up, startled. His eyes flickered to her and a wide grin stretched upward behind his mustache.

"Trusting a complete stranger is always the worst thing to do, you know. You never know if they're your enemy or your ally. You never know if they might be taking what you say and handing it over to the other side." Inuyasha's eyes narrowed on him in suspicion and confusion, while Kagome stared at the old man in fright. "But," Thomas continued in a lighter manner, "that's just _my_ theory on strangers. Well, I just wanted to say hello and see how you were doing. Goodbye!" He returned to his table and Inuyasha glared after him, wary.

"What do you think that was about, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked quietly. She could see their waiter returning with their dishes.

"I'm not sure," he grumbled. Kagome gave a brief thank you to the waiter as he set their dishes down. Inuyasha proceeded to eat his grilled steak, almost savagely and Kagome continued with her dinner more slowly. When they were finished, they lingered for a moment, drinking the rest of their wine. The waiter returned with the bill and took their dishes away only to return for the money. Kagome handed him a check and she took her purse, following Inuyasha out of the restaurant.

"Inuyasha?" She questioned, touching his arm. "I'm worried. Do you think Thomas Hatton is planning to hurt Sesshomaru? I mean, I know that all he did was talk about a stranger, but maybe..."

"Who cares?" Inuyasha demanded, glowering and stopping outside their car. "Kagome, I don't give a damn if someone's trying to hurt him. For what he's done to me, he _deserves_ to get hurt. I hope he loses everything and learns how hard it was for us to cope without any money. Besides, even if Thomas Hatton _was_ planning to hurt him, it's not as though he doesn't know how to take care of himself. He's smart, he's strong, and he's not a little boy, alright? So stop making him out to be some helpless little boy. I doubt that any human can hurt Sesshomaru."

"But Inuyasha, maybe we should warn him or – "

"_No!_" He snapped. "I'm not going to contact my brother, no matter what, okay? Let's just drop it and go home." He stormed to the other side of the car and waited for her to unlock the doors. Kagome sat in the driver's seat, buckled her seatbelt, and started the car, pulling out of the parking lot.

_Inuyasha wouldn't be this way if Sesshomaru hadn't done what he did. If something really bad _does_ happen to Sesshomaru, Inuyasha might realize then how much he cares for his brother – even if he doesn't show it. He can't lose anyone else. He's already lost his father. _Kagome sneaked a glance at Inuyasha, who was frowning outside the window. _I only hope he realizes that sooner rather than later. _

X

DIS: Well, I know this had only mentions of Sesshomaru and was focused entirely on Inuyasha and Kagome, but I had to insert them in this story as Inuyasha is going to end up being important in the end. Well...somewhat. Anyway, I'm sorry that this was a short chapter and I promise there to be more Sesshomaru and Rin next chapter and even more deceit! Please review on your way out and tell me what you thought and what you think is about to happen. Ciao!


	6. Chapter Six

DIS: I am so sorry for not updating sooner. I've been so busy with school and my family that it's not even funny. What's more, I've been working on my Halloween fic that I hope to be done _somewhat _on time. Anyway, thanks to HawkAngel XD, New Fan (you're right, but there's a lot more to it than that,) IYGU, living on, kagome2004, icygirl2, and d2shny for reviewing. You have no idea how it encourages me. Here's the next chapter, more eventful than the last. Enjoy!

X

Chapter Six 

A week had passed since Inuyasha went out to dinner with Kagome. Many things had taken place. Rin, in her eagerness to become friends with the rich and handsome youkai, Sesshomaru, forgot what her actual objective was at first. She kept the clothes that Sesshomaru had given her in good condition and cleaned them as best as she could with her limited resources. Her relationship with Sesshomaru improved. He opened up a bit to her, but he was still slightly wary. However, that suspicion was not strong, as she did not seem very threatening. She was a young, impoverished girl that always had a bright smile to the passing person and her looks struck her as innocent, just like her personality. For the time being, Sesshomaru had no reason to suspect her of ill giving. Despite that, he did not entrust her with any very important information. She was fourteen and though she was at the brink of womanhood, that did not mean that she wouldn't talk to others, so Sesshomaru acted in an accordingly safe way when he spoke about her. When she asked about his business, he ignored the question, falling silent, or diverted the conversation. If he so much as said that business was going well and she told someone, it could be valuable information for his enemies.

Presently, one of his enemies, Thomas Hatton, was exiting his business, his mouth curved in his age-old charming smile, his mustache tilted upward with his mouth. The rich adored him; even the lower classes adored him. It was amazing how one man, who was so deceitful and cunning in the worst kind of ways, could effect an entire society. Either way, it didn't matter to him so long as he got what he wished. _Hmm,_ he pondered to himself as his chauffeur opened the door. _I should probably send a man to retrieve Rin for me. _He smiled as he settled in the limousine, clasping the rounded top of his cane. _It's been long enough. Surely she's discovered _something_ by now! And if not...well, then I obviously won't be paying her. _His eyes flickered out the window and his lips twisted into a cruel, nasty smile. "Look at them," he said to himself vacantly. "Just _look at them!_ Those stupid, poor, pathetic beings!" He let out a bark of laughter. "This world should be full with more people like _me_." He laughed, amused. _People like me, _he mused. _Oh, yes, what a laugh! Everyone would be plotting against each other. _He snickered at that admittance and turned his face from the window, smirking at the idea.

Turning from his thoughts briefly, Thomas composed his face into a mask of kindness and tapped on the window to the driver's seat. The driver opened and met his employer's eyes in the mirror. "Sir?" He questioned a bit hesitantly.

"We'll want to stop up here at the Olive Garden briefly."

"...Er...Well, if you want to, sir," his driver replied uncertainly, wondering inwardly why Thomas Hatton would want to go to the _Olive Garden_ of all places. His employer only ate at the most expensive and popular restaurants. Nonetheless, he pulled into the parking lot and Thomas said a brief thank you, getting out and moving to where his driver couldn't see him. His smiled dropped and his face seemed older now that he wasn't smiling and keeping a kind façade on. He dialed a number on his cell phone and waited impatiently, checking his watch every few seconds. People streamed in and out of the Olive Garden, their faces lit up and laughing.

"Boss?" A gruff voice answered.

"Get Jacob on the phone. He can deal with this job," Thomas ordered in a firm voice that was quite unlike the one people were used to. For a moment, there was silence on the other line and Thomas peered up at the sky, feeling the sun peer down at him with a taunting glare.

"Sir?" Came a softer, less manly voice.

"Jacob, I want you to go pick up a little girl. Her name is Rin and she lives in the alleys off of 1st Street. Can you find it easily enough?" He queried, tapping his polished boot, his powdery eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes, sir. Where should I take her?"

"Bring her to me at the Olive Garden."

"...Ah, of course, sir."

"Good." Thomas flipped his phone closed, scowling. He hoped that this meeting wouldn't take long. He had a family to take care of, after all. Granted, it wasn't a great family as his daughter slept with every guy she could just like his wife, but it wouldn't be like that for often. Sighing, attempting to calm himself, his tucked his cell phone away and smoothed out his cream colored suit. He nodded once to assure himself he was fine and sauntered back to the limo, his mask firmly back in place.

X

Rin hummed a soft tune to herself as she sat on the steps of her "home." She heard footsteps and glanced at the position of the shadows from the buildings. She wasn't able to tell time as well during the winter or when the weather was bad, but when the sun was out, she could tell time relatively well. _Mr. Inutaisho shouldn't be coming around by this time, _Rin observed, getting to her feet, her brow furrowing. _Could it be...Thomas Hatton? _But the sound of the footsteps did not have the _clunk_ of a cane. They were steady and coming straight for the alley in which she lived in. Rin considered fleeing, but decided to hold her ground. She wasn't doing anything wrong, so why should she be fearful?

A male turned into the alley and her expression cleared. He appeared harmless. He was tall, but a bit on the gangly side and had unkempt hair. His suit, however, made her aware that he wasn't here to speak friendlily, along with the strange angles behind his topcoat. A huge, black metal weapon popped in her head and she involuntarily shuddered. Suddenly, interrupting her thoughts, his blue eyes fixed on hers and she swallowed. Unable to offer a smile, she asked quietly, "Yes?"

His eyes moved over her frame doubtfully, as though he wasn't sure if she was what was right in his face. "Are you Rin?" He questioned. She started in surprise and he put his hands up, saying quickly, "Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt you." Jacob could see every muscle in her petite body tense for flight if needed. Either that, or she would fight for every second of her life. _Odd, though, _Jacob thought ironically. _You'd think a homeless person would want to end it. But..._ Again, he eyed her. She was clean, her hair only a bit messed up, her pink sundress clean, more or less, and her shoes not worn out, but almost new. Did this girl really live on the streets? He began to wonder. _She looks only fourteen, maybe fifteen, despite her height. Does she sell herself on the street and get these things? _

"Who are you?" Rin asked warily, her muscles rippling with apprehension. "Who sent you?"

"My name is Jacob. My employer, Mr. Hatton, wanted me to pick you up and bring you to him. Surely you know him?"

"Yes..." She responded slowly, the tension slowly leaving her body. "He wants to see me?"

"Yeah, he does."

"Okay. Tell me where to go and I'll walk." His expression was one of surprise. Rin's instincts sharpened at his reaction. Her distrust of him was obvious at this point. Then again, Rin didn't like the look of him. She didn't like strangers that looked dangerous. The only stranger that she had found truly fascination and trustworthy was Sesshomaru Inutaisho, who she liked quite a deal.

"I'm sorry, but that can't be arranged," he answered. "He ordered me to bring you to the Olive Garden." He smiled then, saying, "Besides, a young lady like you shouldn't be out by yourself." Rin didn't reply, watching him warily. His smile dropped and he sighed. "Listen, I really don't have the time for this. Will you please just come with me so I can give you to him?" She pursed her lips, then nodded.

"Alright." He gave a smile of relief.

"Great. Let's go, then." He led her out of the alley to his car. He unlocked the passenger's door and she climbed in, buckling her seatbelt. The car ride was filled with silence and Rin didn't mind.

_Mr. Inutaisho will be there soon, _she thought sadly. _I guess I won't be able to see him today. _Jacob pulled into the Olive Garden and Thomas Hatton approached the car, opening Rin's door. Jacob waved briefly as she got out. Thomas shut the door and ushered her to his limo. She climbed in and he entered after her. She kept her eyes on her folded hands in her lap.

"It's good to see you again, Rin," Thomas told her brightly. "I hope you were given enough time to find some things out. But don't tell me now," he continued when she opened her mouth. "We have plenty of time for that later!" He gave another bright smile and she returned it, though less brilliantly. They fell silent, though it wasn't exactly awkward. When Rin chanced a look at him, his eyes were narrowed on the people outside the window and his lip curled a bit. She hastily looked up, her brow furrowed in total bewilderment. What could have caused him to look that way? She bit her lip, trying to put things together, but the more she considered over Thomas Hatton, the more puzzled she became.

X

Sesshomaru frowned as he glided down the alley and noticed that Rin wasn't there waiting for him like she normally was. He had had a particularly bad day and was almost looking forward to seeing him. She always managed to make him forget about the idiot humans in the business world. Though, she was out, and there was nothing he could do about that. He left her small little space, his mood to the point of ultimate foulness. He spotted Jaken toddling toward him from where his limo was waiting. He had a meeting with a group of other youkais (they, too, were idiots, but not nearly as much as the idiot humans.) Jaken beamed at him, then his grin fell as Sesshomaru kicked him just for his dark amusement. Jaken winced and stumbled after Sesshomaru, decidedly keeping quiet. When his employer was in this bad of a mood, anything could set him off. And, as they were riding to the place where the meeting was taking place, Sesshomaru had a pretty ticked off expression at the two red lights they had encounter. Today was going to be a very, very bad day for anyone who spoke or so much as looked at Sesshomaru.

_Well,_ Jaken though, trying to counsel himself, _at least he'll be early to the meeting. _However, not even that could make him think Sesshomaru would be in a better mood. _That'll actually make things worse since a few others get there early. Oh no... _Jaken was wishing that he had a boss who wasn't so fearsome in a bad mood.

X

Thomas Hatton ushered Rin into his drawing room, where he settled her onto a chair. He noticed, with some surprise, that she was wearing decent clothing and shoes that didn't look too bad. One look at her and people wouldn't assume that she was homeless, just a bit unkempt. He looked her over and wondered how she had gotten that dress. It looked a bit expensive. Surely she wouldn't spend her money on such an expensive dress? He doubted it.

He smiled at Rin as he sat across from her and she gave a tentative smile back. There was hesitance in her eyes. He wondered what had caused her to look at him like that. He cleared his throat and spoke, "So tell me, young Rin, what you have found out."

"Um...Well, not much, really," she confessed in a guilty tone. Anger rushed up to him, but he hastily pushed it back down, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. If she saw his true nature, she would run from him, money or no money. He dryly thought that she, eventually, would not even need his money. Continuing, and not noticing his inner turmoil, she said, "Mostly I found out about his family."

"His family," he repeated in what he hoped was a kind tone. He already _knew_ about Sesshomaru's family!

"He was really very loyal to his father," Rin explained, "and he regrets cutting ties with Inuyasha."

_Now there's something I _didn't_ know_, Thomas thought, pausing in his rage. _I always assumed those two despised each other to no end. It seems I was wrong. Hmm...Perhaps I could use Inuyasha for my own ways? _He chuckled inwardly and told Rin, "Go on, dear."

"And he only trusts a guy named Jaken." Alarm bells flew on in Rin's mind when she saw a triumphant gleam in his eyes. He looked positively malicious! Her throat constricted and she hoped, very dearly, that she hadn't given any terribly important information to him. It didn't _seem _very important to her, anyway.

"Thank you," Thomas said politely, grinning more broadly than usual. The same mischievous look was in his eye and she shuddered, wondering if maybe she should stop while she was ahead. She reminded herself of the money that could give her a real life. A life of her own.

_But what if I end up destroying another life in the process? _Rin thought in panic. She swallowed and nodded to him.

"Well, allow me to have someone drop you off – "

"No," she hastily said, "but thank you. This isn't too far. I'll walk." Thomas eyed her, then nodded, still smiling.

"If you insist." She hurried out of the room, trying to not be rude. "Oh, Rin?" He called and she turned. He limped over to the doorway, saying, "I'll give you more time before I call on you again. I'm sure you'll have something even more useful."

"...Yes, sir," she quietly answered.

"Goodbye."

"Bye." Rin left the large house, grateful for the fresh hair that swished through her dark locks. It was almost five. She had read the clock in Thomas' house and it had said four fifty-two. She was thankful that it didn't get real dark until around six. She jogged down the walkway to where the sidewalk was, blending in with the crowds of people, her mind still uneasy about that look Hatton had in his eyes...

X

Sesshomaru frowned as he walked briskly from the building in which the meeting had held place. It was cold out tonight and his boa was lying on his shoulder, his long, silver strands almost blending in with the fluff. If he hadn't been irritated before, he most certainly was now. Not only did those idiots mostly gossip the entire time, but they had argued over whether they should continue to make dealings with humans the remainder of the time. Sesshomaru was indecisive, so he didn't enter the argument, decided to see their views instead. There were some good points, but more stupid ones than anything else.

Sesshomaru had told Jaken that he would be walking back to his home to let his frustration out. As he glanced around, he realized that he really didn't look around outside that often. His gaze flickered to a large shopping store and he saw a familiar female exiting with two paper bags in her hands. It was Kagome, Inuyasha's wife. His brow furrowed. He hadn't seen her in many years, ever since she came by to beg for him to return the ties. He doubted that Inuyasha had heard anything of it, being the stubborn ass he was. She looked like she was doing better if she was able to buy things leisurely. He snorted to himself. _At least they're not bothering me, _he told himself, increasing his pace. He felt a twinge of guilt, though, for having them deal with what they did. His face hardened. He didn't care. He kept telling himself that his brother was dirt and so was his wife. Why should he care about them? It would have been better if they were dead. _I...do _not_...feel guilty,_ Sesshomaru told himself firmly.

X

Mayala glanced up and smiled, seeing Rin in a cute pink sundress. She beamed at her and remarked, "Well, would you look at you! Where'd you get the money to buy that dress?"

"I, um, didn't," Rin answered shyly. Mayala's eyebrows shot up, seeing an embarrassed blush cover her cheeks. She hadn't see the younger girl for a week now and had wondered what had been keeping Rin from seeing her. Now, as she observed the nearly new dress and shoes, she had a good hunch of what it was that had been occupying her.

"You got a boyfriend or something?" Mayala asked with a smirk.

"No!"

"Sugar daddy?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Who bought you the pretty dress, Rin baby?"

"Um...Mr. Inutaisho did."

"_WHO?_ No way! The cold-hearted jackass of a youkai did?"

"He's not that bad," Rin tried to defend, but Mayala rolled her eyes. "I was thinking, Mayala, that Mr. Hatton is trying to hurt Mr. Inutaisho, so...so I'm thinking I might not work for him anymore. I need the money, but I...I don't want Mr. Inutaisho to get hurt." Mayala frowned. Rin was a sweet girl and had a kind heart. She didn't like violence, which was why Mayala made sure she could live in a safer place than Mayala herself did. Rin also was innocent and naïve. She didn't like the subject of sex, or even men most of the time. Now, however, Rin was getting involved between two powerful businessmen, one of which was a youkai, the most dangerous race these days! Mayala didn't care one bit for rich people. In fact, she hated them and hated youkais even more. Perhaps Rin didn't know this and that was why she always confided her thoughts to Mayala.

"Sweetheart, you need that money," Mayala told Rin sternly. "Forget about it. If you want to become something and get out of this shitty life that you're living, then you had better do what you have to in order to get that money. Don't ever forget that." Rin bowed her head, biting her lip. "...Do you like the youkai, Rin?"

"He's nice to me," Rin said in a soft voice, raising her eyes. "How can I not worry that I might be giving information that could hurt him?"

"He might be nice, but he might try to hurt you if you're not careful. He's a man, and you're a pretty girl. A lot could happen because of those two things."

"N-no!" Rin cried in surprise. "He would never think of something like that!" Mayala raised an eyebrow, but didn't press the subject.

"Come on. Let's get you washed up," Mayala said and Rin nodded, a small frown forming between her eyebrows.

_Mayala doesn't like him, _Rin concluded, _but I do. He's not mean to me like other people are. I just want a friend that I can talk with...that's all._

X

DIS: (cringes away from mutinous readers) Please don't kill me. I know how long it's been, but I've been so hooked on YuGiOh. I was doing a lot of Inuyasha-related crap today for my website, though, so it's all good. By the way, you guys should check it out! My friend, Molly, finally got it up (bless her!) Here's the URL:

His-rin. that doesn't work, if you click on homepage up on my profile, then it'll go to it.

So, anyway, please review and tell me how you guys like this so far. And, if you want, tell me what you think is going to happen! Ciao!


	7. Chapter Seven

DIS: (sweat drop) I apologize for not updating earlier. I simply haven't had any inspiration. (clenches fist) But then I watched the third Inuyasha movie, which always gets me riled and I am currently listening to music from Inuyasha! Mwahaha! (rubs head sheepishly) Anyway, thanks to all that reviewed. Here is the seventh chapter, full of fluffiness! (cackles)

X

_Thank you for saving me, Chapter Seven_

Sesshomaru frowned to himself, raising his glass of wine to his lips, draining a fourth of the glass. He was having a bad day, like yesterday. He had skipped out on visiting Rin today, much too irritated to face the girl. If he knew his temper – and he did – he would have lashed out at her and that wasn't something she deserved. Though he was, indeed, a heartless youkai in which people did not want to face, he knew that he was fond of her despite himself. She was simply a likeable person. His mouth tautened petulantly. _Which is why I should not visit her. The more I show my weakness for her, the easier it'll be for me to be destroyed. _He sneered at himself and drained the rest of his wine. A knock came on the door and his loyal employee, Jaken, entered with the phone in his thin, green hands.

"It's Mr. Reynolds, sir," Jaken chirped, setting the phone on the glass coffee table beside him and then toddling out of the room. Sesshomaru set his empty glass down and took the phone, pressing into his ear.

"Reynolds," Sesshomaru greeted mildly.

"Mr. Inutaisho," John Reynolds responded grimly. "How are things for you?"

"Well."

"I see. That's good news to hear." He paused, then heaved an agitated sigh. He disliked having to call Sesshomaru when the youkai was in one of his moods (which Jaken informed him he was in) but he didn't have much a choice. He had meant to tell Sesshomaru the news sooner, but when he had called, Jaken had insisted that he call back, saying that his employer was absolutely livid with something. Trusting Jaken on that, he said his goodbye and resolved to call today. He was displeased to find that Sesshomaru was still in a bad mood. "I have some news for you," he told him presently.

"...Indeed?"

"Yes." He hesitated, then continued, "I fear that all the others have been seduced by Hatton." Sesshomaru snorted derisively. Somehow, he wasn't too surprised. "As it happens, they are beginning to give the money already. Their companies will be absolutely ruined! It's obvious that he needs this money for something that will improve _his_ company to give it power."

"And he will utilize that power in order to bring them down," Sesshomaru concluded.

"What bothers me, though, is that if it is so great," Reynolds told him solemnly, "he may be able to take us down, as well." Sesshomaru deliberated over that. There were many companies outside of Shibuya that were extremely powerful, perhaps even more so than his or John Reynolds' company. If they had asked for a specific amount of money to assist Thomas Hatton, they could easily smash him and Reynolds.

"We shall see."

"Mm. Oh, by the way, Sesshomaru, it may interest you to know we're being carefully watched – perhaps even spoken to – by one of Hatton's spies. It seems that he employed someone to pilfer information for him."

"Hm. I suspected he'd do something as low as that."

"You had better be careful in who you socialize with and what you say to them. It may be someone we already know," Reynolds cautioned. Sesshomaru disregarded the caution, having already decided that Rin wasn't a spy for anyone. She was only a homeless girl! Hatton would hardly employ her to spy on him. He hated all others below his own class. Besides, Sesshomaru trusted Rin despite himself.

The two males hung up, both with their minds on difficult matters. Sesshomaru, unlike John Reynolds, who was constantly stressing himself over such things, eventually cleared his mind and helped himself to more wine, resigning himself to the lulling relaxation.

X

Rin sighed to herself at the same time that Sesshomaru was sitting in his drawing room. She stared down at her blanket sullenly, biting her lip. She was worried. The bank in which the construction crew of Mr. London Duos' had been building was officially finished. London Duos had reluctantly told her that she would no longer be needed. Instead of panicking like she had later when she'd gotten to her "home," she had simply smiled brightly and thanked him for letting her work like she had been. Now, however, she was quite hungry and had nothing to get food from. What was more, Mr. Inutaisho hadn't been back, so she was beginning to wonder if he was angry with her.

Heaving another sigh, Rin gave a lopsided grin as she fingered her dress._ At least I'm dressed nice,_ she thought sardonically. She threaded her fingers through her hair idly, feeling tears in her eyes. _I hate living like this. _She brought her legs up to her chest, resting her cheek on her knees, swallowing her tears. She squeezed her eyes tight, forcing herself to an uneasy sleep.

X

Three days later, Sesshomaru wandered idly towards the alley where Rin was located. He had told himself that he wouldn't cause himself any trouble and just leave her be, but now he was _always_ in a bad mood. Jaken, of course, was the one who had to deal with his employer's terrible moods. Sesshomaru took pity on him and was now going to see Rin to see how she was faring. He turned and saw her humming and drawing something in the dirt with a stick. He frowned, noticing that she looked a bit pale and her eyes were a bit dull, not as bright as they normally were. She glanced up and smiled at him, though it, too, was not as bright as usual.

"Mr. Inutaisho, hello," she greeted as cheerfully as she could manage. She hadn't eaten in four days, nor had she drank anything. Her stomach churned whenever she stood up and she was cold, no matter what her body temperature said. "I have not seen you lately."

"No," he agreed. He eyed her suspiciously, then said bluntly, "You look ill." She blinked and lowered her gaze guiltily. Rin hadn't actually thought it was very noticeable. She had been to see Mayala and the woman hadn't said a word and Mayala, being her, would have said something about it. But then again, Mayala had once been a prostitute and wasn't the smartest, nor the sharpest. Sesshomaru, on the other hand, was a wise youkai who noticed every little thing, even if it were as insignificant as someone getting their hair trimmed.

"I haven't eaten lately," was the only explanation she gave to him. His eyes narrowed on her.

"How come?"

"I...don't have any money." His frown became hard. Sesshomaru disliked seeing his favored Rin starving. His eyes took on a thoughtful glint as he considered what to do for her. He supposed that he could take her to get something to eat. She looked presentable enough, but he didn't like the idea of anyone finding out about it. With an inward grumble, he gestured at Rin. She blinked.

"Follow me. I'll get you something to eat."

"Oh, but – " She began protesting, but he gestured again, this time impatiently. She jumped to her feet and hurried after him as he moved down the alley to the road. Inwardly, she was scolding herself for mentioning her lack of food and money. Rin didn't want Mr. Inutaisho to worry over her. She gently lowered her head, gnawing on her lower lip nervously. "Please, sir, I don't want to be a bother to you..." He snorted.

"You are not a bother," he informed her. "Now be quiet." She fell silent obediently, still feeling guilty for his offer.

X

"Inuyasha."

_Goddamn Hatton, implying things..._

"Inuyasha."

What the hell did he mean by that comment? 

"Inuyasha!"

Was he baiting me? Trying to get me to help Sesshomaru? 

"Inuyasha!"

Bullshit! I'm not helping that good-for-nothing – 

"INUYASHA!"

Inuyasha snapped out of his mutinous thoughts, looking from the window he'd been staring out of to see his wife glaring down at him, her eyebrow twitching. For the last hour, he'd been brooding, staring out the window without much thought to what was going around him. Ever since they had gone out to dinner and Hatton had spoken to them, Kagome had been nagging at him about his brother's safety. All her nagging had finally gotten to his head and so for the past hour, he'd been staring out the window, considering over it very seriously.

"For God sakes, Inuyasha, what could you have possibly been thinking of?" Kagome demanded, placing her hands on her hips. His eyes followed the movements of her hands and he thought, in a perverse manner, that she had nicely shaped hips. Knocking out of his naughty thoughts, he raised his amber eyes up to Kagome's and knew he looked guilty because she glared at him. "Inuyasha..."

"Whaddya want?" He muttered, turning away from her, thrusting his lower lip out in a defiant pout. Kagome rolled her eyes at him.

"Of course you wouldn't know, would you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He growled, turning back to look at her.

"You've been staring out the window for who knows how long! I was telling you about a letter Miroku, Sango, and Shippo wrote us and then when I realized you weren't even listening, I had to shout your names about a dozen times!"

"Give me a break. I'm going through inner turmoil – something _you_ wouldn't know about." She gave him a puzzled look and Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably. "Listen, Kagome, I've been thinking about Hatton and Sesshomaru."

"You have?" She sounded bewildered.

"Yes, I have," he snapped, though there was a strange emotion in his eyes that Kagome couldn't identify. Kagome had been drilling it into his head that "it would be plain heartless not to warn his brother," hoping that it might get through to him. Apparently, it had, because Inuyasha was finally thinking seriously on the subject. Whenever she started to get on his case earlier, he'd tell her to shut up or would ignore her.

"And?" She prodded hopefully.

"I don't trust Hatton anymore than you – "

"Oh, Inuyasha! I knew you understood!"

" – but we don't have any evidence that Hatton actually was threatening him. He could have been bluffing, trying to lure me into talking to Sesshomaru. Hell, Sesshomaru might have even set Hatton there so I would cave!"

"Inuyasha, how can you say that?" Kagome cried, her expression apparently showing what she thought of his older brother setting up someone to make him do such a thing. "Sesshomaru might be a jerk, but I don't think that he would ever actually want to see you talk to him and then rub it in your face. I mean, come on! He doesn't even like looking at us!" Inuyasha stared at her with a dark face.

"Thanks for that, Kagome," he sarcastically said.

"Sorry, but it's true." She hesitated, and then continued, "I think that, deep – _deep_ – in his heart, he knows he really cares for you. You're his brother, after all." He sniffed, twitching his nose. "...What if Hatton really is planning something, Inuyasha?"

"I don't know," the hanyou answered honestly, his expression troubled. She could tell he was battling with his own emotions. He was trying to decide whether to help because they were family or to ignore it and let Sesshomaru deal with it because of his own hate for him.

"You'll figure it out, Inuyasha," Kagome said earnestly, smiling. "I know you will."

"Feh..."

X

Sesshomaru observed every movement Rin made while she ate. She sat across from him at the table and sipped her ice water and ate her food with small bites. A bit of color was returning to her face, but she still looked ill. He could tell she was feeling a bit better, though, because she was chattering about small things. This was the Rin he liked. He didn't like the way her smile wavered and her eyes watered up sometimes, though. He especially didn't like when she would cut off in the middle of sentence, frown, and then continue as though nothing had happened. There was something seriously wrong with her. He had hoped the food and drink would help, but he was beginning to think that it wasn't going to.

"Rin," he interrupted her and she stopped talking, looking to him with a puzzled look. Her lips trembled a bit and he couldn't understand what was wrong with her. "You've had money before to eat and such, haven't you?"

"...Yes, Mr. Inutaisho."

"Why don't you now?" She lowered her gaze to her hands on the table and she bit her lip nervously. She raised her eyes and gave a shaky smile.

"Well...I..." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and answered hesitantly, "I used to work for a construction crew, doing little things. They finished the bank they were working on and since they finished, Mr. London had to let me go. No one will hire a fourteen-year-old." His eyes narrowed on her and he didn't answer. She gave a light laugh and said, "But I'll figure something out. I always have." He still didn't speak, thinking that if she wasn't in better living conditions, then she might not be alive to "figure something out." "I don't want to waste your time," Rin told him, standing up. "Thank you, Mr. Inutaisho." He nodded curtly. She gave him a small smile and left. Sesshomaru frowned to himself, resting his chin on his folded hands.

_I'll check on her tomorrow, _he decided grimly. _If she's not better by then or if she's worse, I'll take her to see a doctor. From there..._ He trailed off in his thoughts, not really knowing what he would do afterward. In a way, she would be his responsibility at that point. But he was willing to take that chance, he supposed...

X

That night, around midnight, Rin woke up, coughing loudly. She sat up, continuing to cough. She let out a sob as a pain filled her chest. She coughed in her hand and then gasped for breath as her cough let out for a moment. She pulled back, looking down at her hand, feeling something damp on her hand. Rin let out a startled sound, her eyes widening at the blood on her pale hand. Rin lifted her hands to stare at and they startled to shake. _No! I can't be sick! _She thought, horrified. _I'll-I'll die! _She closed her eyes tightly and tears spilled onto her cheeks as she dropped back onto her filthy bedding, crying softly to herself, coughing in-between.

X

Sesshomaru's cool, expressionless face didn't change the least bit as the business man moved in the alleys that he had become so familiar with. His expression did not change, either, when he turned his gaze upon the empty place where Rin normally sat. Without a change in pace, he ascended the steps to her "home." His hand grasped the rusty handle and he pulled it open. He heard harsh breathing and his gaze narrowed. He briskly moved inside and knelt next to the petite body of Rin's. He passed his fingers briefly over her forehead and let out a grunt of irritation before gathering her shaking figure into his arms, covering her with his boa. Her eyes slid open and Rin stared up at his handsome face.

"Mr. Inutaisho...I'm sorry..." He didn't reply, rushing through the alleys and streets, ignoring the indignant voices of humans. In hardly any time at all, he was at the hospital. Sesshomaru glanced down at Rin's trembling form. Perspiration had broken out on her face and she was rasping out small breaths. His eyes narrowed and he stalked into the hospital, snapping out orders to the humans, who ran everywhere, more than aware of who he was.

"Mr. Inutaisho?" A doctor queried. "Shall I...?" He looked to Rin and Sesshomaru did as well, before carefully handing her to the doctor. Sesshomaru took him by the collar a moment later, startling the mortal.

"If you let her die, you, too, will die," the youkai hissed venomously to him. The doctor's eyes widened, his jaw dropping a bit, before he swallowed.

"Y-yes, Mr. Inutaisho," he whispered nervously. "I-I will take care of her." Sesshomaru released him and followed him to a room, his amber eyes boring into the doctor's back. The doctor ordered a nurse to dress Rin in a robe and then take her temperature and get a cold pad. The doctor then nervously turned to the youkai and cleared his throat. "Ah, perhaps it is better that we leave the room while she takes care of her, sir?" Sesshomaru stared at him for a long while, before backing out of the room, the latter following.

"Mr. Inutaisho!" A familiar voice cried in obvious shock. "Mr. Inutaisho, what are you doing here?" Sesshomaru turned to see Jaken skittering up to him. He lifted a foot and sent the green imp flying. "Mr. Inutaisho," Jaken whined, crawling up to him pitifully. "I – "

"You will stay here," Sesshomaru ordered to Jaken, whose jaw dropped. "Watch the girl. I will be back later on tonight. You are to care for her and if anything happens, contact me." Jaken stared at him in bewilderment.

"B-but sir – Um, wait, what?" Sesshomaru gave him a hard look and then left, as elegant and as aristocratic as usual with not a hair out of place. Both Jaken and the doctor stared after him, admirable and bemused. Jaken looked to the doctor in question and the latter merely shrugged.

X

"Mm..." Rin shifted in warm bedding, raising a hand to her hair. It was soft and silky and smelled like flowers. Her brows furrowed. She hadn't washed her hair in a few days. She opened her eyes and saw a green thing in front of her. She let out a shriek and the creature jumped back, swearing fluently. "Wh-who are you?" She whispered, eyes wide. "Have you come to take me to Hell?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you stupid girl!" Jaken snapped. "I'm not here to do any such thing! I'm watching after you. Mr. Inutaisho ordered it so." She gasped, putting her hands to her mouth in further surprise. She had forgotten all about the kind youkai. She had been sick this morning and when she woke up, he had been there, taking her somewhere. Where was she? "You are at the hospital," Jaken continued as she looked around, "and you cannot leave. Mr. Inutaisho will be here soon."

"Am I...well?"

"Well enough," Jaken huffed, crossing his arms across his chest as she sat up, fixing him with a curious look. "You had a high fever, but thanks to the doctors, it was brought down. And the state you were in! You were filthy! What have you been doing, living on the streets? I can't believe Mr. Inutaisho would bother with riffraff like you." The imp went on muttering as Rin bowed her head, sighing lightly to herself. She didn't notice Jaken go silent until her chin was tipped up by said youkai. Sesshomaru frowned down at her, appearing slightly displeased, but also satisfied.

"Well?" He questioned, releasing her chin. Rin blinked at him.

"Oh. Um. Thank you – very much – for helping me. But I...I don't have anything to pay you back with..."

"Rin, you are to come and live with me from now on," Sesshomaru informed her, ignoring her thanks. Rin stared at him in mortification.

"N-no, sir! Please, you've done enough!" She gasped out hastily.

"The streets are not safe for you. I'm taking you under my protection." Rin's face colored in embarrassment.

"But I – " He glared at her warningly. "I..." She trailed off hopelessly, bowing her head again, knowing that she had been defeated. "Okay," she whispered. Sesshomaru gave the slightest of nods in satisfaction, turning to Jaken.

"She will stay here for another day," he told him. "Then, you will bring her home."

"...Yes, Mr. Inutaisho," Jaken answered slowly without question, though he did give a puzzled look to Rin. He couldn't understand what had happened between her and his employer. Though, he knew now why he had been forced to buy girl clothes. Sesshomaru glanced at Rin in farewell and then left, his boa settled warmly on his shoulder, his shoes _click_ing on the marble floor.

_Now that I will be living with Mr. Inutaisho, _Rin thought dismally, _he will know I'm supposed to be a spy! _

X

DIS: (rubs head) Um. Hehehe. Sorry? (gets hit with a rock) Ow! I really am sorry for not updating sooner! I've just been sooo busy, its not even funny! I haven't even updated my other stories since my Halloween fic, so there! I have a good excuse! Anyway, um, please review on your way out and tell me how you liked it – or if you liked it at all. Ciao!


	8. Chapter Eight

DIS: I'm sorry for not being able to update earlier, but ever since I lost cable and the DVD player on my laptop stopped working, I haven't been watching Inuyasha and so I lost a lot of my inspiration. (sigh) But, I won't abandon this fic! I refuse to! (oO) I think ya'll would come after me with guns if I did.

Thanks to Yangu Fuyu, HawkAngel XD, Erika Darkmoon, Satan Junior No Super Hentai ((pouts) But I _am_ a lazy bum! Just look at how long this took!), silentxangel, Sessho's Girl, joellesophya, RedBrick, Kagura134, inufire (XD, you're awesome,) SesshomaruLover427, Living on, hopelessromantic56, Marie Phantom, d2shny, amazongirl.747, lindajrjt (oh, well thank you. I used to read Kagome/Sesshomaru pairings a lot, but now I think she should be with Koga. Yup, yup,) sansho (I get your point, but in the end, I'll probably jump it ahead or have him promise to wait until she's older or something like that. So they'll be together, but I wouldn't have them do anything while she's so young! Thanks for the question, though,) and Tamatama-chan (I had break, so I got some time, lol) for reviewing. Aw, you guys are da bomb! (huggles reviewers) And now for the eighth chapter ya'll have been waitin' for!

X

_Chapter Eight_

Inuyasha gave a grim look at the rain that was pattering down outside of the café he had been relaxing in. He had strolled to the quiet, comforting café about an hour or so ago. Kagome had told him that while he was out she was going to the post office. Why didn't she just put the freakin' envelope in the mailbox? Well, that was Kagome. She did everything the hard way, it seemed. In any case, he was glad that he had come here by himself. Kagome always liked to chatter to him and, sure, he didn't mind that, but today he needed some time for his thoughts. Thoughts that were unpleasant.

_Father, _Inuyasha thought sullenly, _wanted us to remain neutral towards each other. He knew we hated each other, though. Why he suspected that Sesshomaru would keep giving me and Kagome money is beyond me. What a stupid old man. _His lip curled in a silent sneer. _And Sesshomaru didn't feel the least bit remorseful – _doesn't _feel the least bit remorseful. _Inuyasha frowned to himself suddenly, turning to the paper that was on the table. He hadn't wanted to touch it after the story he read in it. He didn't usually read this newspaper because it was literally just gossip. The title was _The Gossiper_, for goodness sake. But that story about his elder half-brother shook him.

_Sesshomaru wouldn't give a damn about a human girl, _he thought, taking a drink of his coffee (which had so much sugar anyone else would gag on it.) _But the statement from the doctor said that he brought in the human girl and threatened to kill him if she died. That somewhat sounds like Sesshomaru. _Inuyasha frowned, his whole face crinkling with puzzlement. _I just don't get it. _Something stirred in the back of his mind, like a stray string blowing in the wind. He tried to get a hold of the thought, but it escaped him. It returned almost immediately, whispering _danger_ to him. _Somehow, _Inuyasha thought, finishing his coffee and standing up, moving to the cashier to pay for his coffee, _I have a bad feeling about this._

X

Jaken frowned, his arms crossed, staring at the closed door. He cursed his employer a thousand times over, irritated. _Stay home, stay home, _Jaken mimicked in his mind, snorting aloud. _Why should _I _have to stay and watch over the wretch? Honestly! Why does Mr. Inutaisho even bother with the girl? She's just trash. _

"Mr. Jaken?" A soft voice queried. Jaken blinked, turning his head to the left to see Rin poking her head out of her room. "What are you doing staring at that door?" He blinked and flushed an angry, mottled red and strode over to her. Ooh, if he had his way, he would slap that girl right across the cheek for making him feel so stupid! But Jaken knew that if Rin mentioned it to Sesshomaru, he wouldn't just lose his job, he'd be good and dead six feet under – maybe not even that lucky. He'd probably just be a pile of dust by the time the youkai was finished with him. "Mr. Jaken, are you okay? You look feverish..." Jaken paused in his depressing thoughts and eyed Rin suspiciously. Her warm eyes were gleaming with concern. She was taller than him, so she had to bend down to meet his gaze. She lifted a hand and brushed her fingers over his forehead. "You don't feel warm."

"Ignorant girl!" Jaken sputtered, startled by her cool, but kind, touch. He took a step away from her, brandishing the Jinto-jo. Also startled, Rin stepped back, her eyes widening as he waved the staff crazily. "I am a youkai! I cannot get _feverish_." He snorted arrogantly, even though he knew that if he was poisoned or there was a strong, pure priest or priestess near, he would feel very ill indeed. But she needn't know that.

"You're a youkai?" Rin asked, tilting her head, giving him a curious look. "You don't look like a youkai. Mr. Inutaisho is a youkai." She bobbed her head, continuing, "He is tall and beautiful and strong. You are the opposite." Jaken's jaw dropped slightly, stunned at her bluntness.

"What are you saying?" He shrilled, making her chocolate eyes widen again. "That I am short, ugly, and weak?" Rin stared at him for a moment, then smoothed her hands over the soft, white dress that she was wearing. Jaken himself had chosen the dress for her. Sesshomaru, he knew, wouldn't be caught dead buying clothes for his ward. Jaken, however, didn't mind it. Besides, Jaken thought as he eyed Rin, dresses looked better on her than jeans would, he suspected.

"You _are_ short, though, Mr. Jaken," Rin said, tilting her head in a puzzled matter, the tiny ponytail on the top of her head bobbing slightly at the movement of her head. "You know that." He noticed how she didn't say anything about the other descriptions he had screamed at her. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, but her expression was so earnest that he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for being so rude to her. She hadn't done anything wrong, now had she? Sullenly, Jaken admitted that she hadn't. His problem was that he disliked humans and disliked women even more. Sesshomaru felt the same and even more strongly, but he had allowed this girl in his house, so Jaken supposed he should accept her presence here.

"Humph! Are you quite finished bathing and dressing?" He demanded, narrowing his large, circular eyes. When he glanced at her, he noticed how healthier and prettier she looked compared to a couple days ago. He hadn't seen her while she'd been resting in her room, getting over the sickness. He had followed his employer to her room, but been ordered to stay out in the hall while Sesshomaru entered. Now, as Jaken observed her petite frame, glossy black hair, tender chocolate brown eyes, and slightly tan skin, he reluctantly admitted she was a cute girl. The loose white dress swayed around her young, gentle curves and fit her bright personality nicely. Jaken wondered vaguely how such a charming girl had ended up in the situation she had been in. Irritated with that thought, he glared at Rin, who was completely oblivious to the dark look and what was going through his mind.

"...Mr. Jaken?" He blinked and she repeated herself, "I am finished, so we should probably go downstairs to help with dinner."

"We don't help with dinner, fool!" He ground out. She looked confused. "The servants do that. Mr. Inutaisho is going to be home soon and we are required to greet him when he comes in." Her mouth formed an O as comprehension dawned on her face. "Now, come on, girl."

"Okay, Mr. Jaken." She nodded her head and skipped after him as he hurried down the stairs.

"Mr. Inutaisho, I suppose, will be happy to see you out of bed," he grumbled, glancing at her. She was smiling, trailing close behind him. "You've been in bed for the last four days! What kind of person is sick for that long?" He continued to grumble all the way down the stairs. Rin completely ignored him, gazing around her at the gorgeous Japanese paintings hanging on the walls, the thick, squishy navy carpet, and the polished wooden doors. Rin had never been in a house so beautiful as this one. She had never had the chance.

Rin, so engrossed in her surroundings, slammed into Jaken, who had paused at the top of the stairs. He let out a squawk and flew down the stairs. Rin gasped, pressing her hands to her mouth in horror. She didn't even notice Sesshomaru at the foot of the stairs, watching the scene with a neutral expression. "Oh, no, Mr. Jaken!" She skipped the stairs and skidded to a halt at the foot of the stairs where Jaken's crumpled figure was. "Um...Are you okay?"

"Grr..." He growled at her and then jumped to his feet, roaring, "Couldn't you have watched what you were doing?" He smoothed his clothes out, glowering at her. "Honestly! Where _was_ your mind? The Twilight Zone?" Rin's brow creased in puzzlement. He huffed, waving a green hand dismissively as he picked up the Jinto-jo. His eyes moved to the side and he let out a startled yelp. "Mr. Inutaisho!" He cried in surprise.

"Mr. Inutaisho!" Rin greeted in a cheerful tone, quite the opposite of Jaken's. She launched herself forward so she was in front of him. Her mouth spread into a bright grin, her whole face gleaming. "Welcome home! Mr. Jaken told me we had to come and greet you." One of Sesshomaru's brow rose in question as his amber eyes flicked to Jaken, who was shifting nervously.

"Hm. You are doing well?" He queried of Rin, who nodded, still smiling.

"Very well," she corrected. She paused, looking thoughtful, before saying, "I like your house, it's very pretty." He nodded, his expression solemn as always. Sesshomaru quickly raked his eyes over Rin's small, tender body and decided that she looked well enough to be jumping around like she seemed to be doing. He was pleased that, after a few days of regular bathing and eating, her condition had improved such a great deal. As he continued his examination, he noted that he had never seen her as clean and healthy before.

"Mr. Inutaisho," Jaken cautiously began, "I was curious – "

"A story appeared in a paper today," Sesshomaru interrupted. "Are you aware of that, Jaken?" Sesshomaru himself hadn't read the article. He had seen the title of the article, though, where the paper had been lying on his secretary's desk. At first, he had felt beyond furious at someone poking their nose in his personal business and then minor irritation after he recalled his father getting the same publicity. He'd calmed himself well enough and had turned his back on the paper and it's article with the usual grace he possessed. But Jaken was his man of business and Sesshomaru had ordered him to prevent any such articles popping in any paper or magazines. No one except the most wealthy had heard of his and his brother's problems when he took over the company, nor of his refusal to adhere to Thomas Hatton. His personal life was his own. That was simply how he felt.

"Indeed, sir?" Jaken politely answered, totally oblivious. "What – Oh...Oh." His green face turned pale and his throat worked convulsively. "Ah...I never heard of anything, sir. Did something come up that you disliked?"

"You know well enough that I want no articles of my personal life posted in any paper," Sesshomaru coolly responded. Jaken swallowed. Oh, yes, how he knew! When he'd first been made Sesshomaru's man of business, Sesshomaru had thrust the Jinto-jo in his hands, telling him he may be required to dispose of anyone who irritated him. Jaken knew without asking that he, himself, could be placed in that category. And so, when Sesshomaru thereafter explained how he wanted no personal article of him in the papers, Jaken understood what was to happen to both him and the writer if that were to happen. Jaken was diligent at his job and had been very careful to make sure nothing of the sort happened.

"B-but sir..." Jaken sputtered. "I have been here watching the human girl. I couldn't – " Whatever he was going to say next came out in a choke as Sesshomaru's hand shot out and grasped his throat, lifting him off the ground. Jaken gasped, dropping the Jinto-jo, his wide eyes bulging as he attempted to get air in his throat.

"Remember," Sesshomaru quietly said, "that I do not want this to happen again. I want no excuses. If this is to occur again..." He trailed off meaningfully and dropped Jaken, who sucked in deep breaths of air. Sesshomaru glanced at Rin, who was standing by the stairs. He expected her to be trembling or crying with fear. Instead, she merely raised her eyes to his face and smiled at him as though she hadn't seen him almost kill the other youkai. "I expect you to attend dinner with me tonight," he informed her.

"Okay," she responded, still smiling. He nodded slightly and swept out of the hall. Rin approached Jaken, kneeling next to him. "Mr. Inutaisho is mad at you, Mr. Jaken."

"I know that, you stupid girl!" He snarled, snatching his Jinto-jo. "And all because I had to watch _you_ and make sure you were safe!" He snorted. "I see no reason why Mr. Inutaisho should bother with a human girl."

Ignoring his jibes, she continued, "You should fix whatever you did before he gets really angry." She smiled then, adding, "Then you can have dinner with us." She left him then, trotting upstairs while Jaken knelt there, stunned. He hadn't thought to fix the problem. With a slight frown, he climbed to his feet and gave the slightest of nods to himself.

_I will fix my blunder before dinner is on the table, _he promised.

X

"_Human girl?_" Thomas Hatton murmured to himself, the paper shielding his face. He let out a crude bark of laughter, slapping the paper down. "Oh, this is too perfect." As he gazed down at the paper with a grin, he knew too well who the 'human girl' was. There was no one else than his cute, naïve spy that could worm her way into the youkai's heart. After all, the description the doctor had supplied was the very image of Rin. His lips curled into a sneer and he let out another loud laugh, his mind whirling, his heart jumping to his throat with eagerness.

_She'll be able to get all the dirt on Sesshomaru Inutaisho now, _he thought with a triumphant smirk. _Now all I'll need is to manipulate one of his damning servants. _His smirk lessened a bit. _He only chooses the most loyal of servants, though. Damn. It's going to be difficult. _He shrugged to himself, saying aloud, "It doesn't matter. I can easily just get to Rin when she's alone and out of the house." _And she can tell me all the dirty little secrets about that bastard. _

"You're mine now, youkai," he murmured, clasping his hands, his lips curling beneath his mustache. "You _and_ Reynolds. And soon, your companies will be mine, too." He chuckled darkly to himself.

X

Jaken sulked in his chair, grinding his teeth slightly. He hated to admit it, but Rin had saved him three days earlier. He'd come back after exterminating the writer of the damned article that had gotten him in trouble and entered the dining room. Sesshomaru was still livid, of course, but Rin had bounced in, cheerfully asking Jaken whether he'd taken care of the "wrong-doer" as she called the writer. Sesshomaru hadn't looked so furious after he'd answered her, "Yes, I did." In fact, his attention was brought off Jaken completely with Rin's pointless chatter. _I suppose I owe her,_ Jaken thought irritably, glancing at Sesshomaru, who was looking through a file that the secretary had slid onto his desk. He was glad to be back at the office, working with his boss. Sesshomaru had ordered him to stay with Rin the few days after she'd gotten better.

Sesshomaru raised his eyes to the door, narrowing them slightly. Jaken gave a puzzled look, then heard the ruckus happening outside. He hesitated, then hopped off the chair, his Jinto-jo in his hands. Jaken heard angry howls and as a familiar smell came to his nostrils, he knew that it was a human – the worst one, for that matter. Thomas Hatton.

The door exploded open and Thomas Hatton stood there, his mustache quivering, his old body straight as a wooden board. Sesshomaru assessed him quietly, calmly clasping his hands and resting his chin on his long, twined fingers. Anyone who hadn't dealt with youkais or Sesshomaru for that matter would believe him to be perfectly calm. Jaken knew better. By the steady darkening of his amber eyes, he knew that his employer was furious.

"So!" Thomas sneered. "Here you are, you damn youkai."

"What is it that you desire, Hatton?" Sesshomaru quietly asked in a steady, regal tone. Thomas's eyes flashed and he swiftly moved forward, slamming his hands on the desk. Sesshomaru regarded him coolly, not the least bit startled. Though his temper was beginning to glisten through his calm façade. Jaken shuddered. If that law against murdering humans resulted in the beheading of the youkai wasn't present, Jaken knew Hatton would be dead the moment he had stepped in this office.

"I know how you are, goddamn you," Thomas hissed, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Manipulating John Reynolds around your finger, making him dance in the palm of your hand...Oh, yes, I know how you are. After all, you're a youkai. What they do best is twist humans the way they want them." He let out a brittle laugh. "Before you youkais came, life was glorious. Not like how it changed when your kind came." Sesshomaru didn't move, nor did he speak. He just stared coldly at the human before him, his irritation and blood lust clear on his pale, aristocratic face. Thomas Hatton finally drew back, sneering. "Not to mention you going after young women. I always wondered why you weren't married."

"Get out," Jaken hastily snarled, seeing how quickly Sesshomaru's face changed to a black mask of rage, how his eyes darkened to a close shade of crimson. "Get out or die." Jaken raised his Jinto-jo warningly and Thomas snorted before swinging around and storming out of the room. Jaken slammed the door closed after him and flinched as he glanced over his shoulder at his employer. Sesshomaru let out a slight growl, returning to his file. Jaken suspected that Thomas Hatton wouldn't have gotten out alive if he'd not been here to get him out. If he hadn't added that comment on Rin, then he would have. Jaken guessed that if Hatton had only said that one thing, Sesshomaru's reaction would have been similar, just quicker. _Mr. Inutaisho seems to care very dearly for that human girl, _Jaken noted with a bit discomfort. _I just don't understand why he should..._

X

For the past four days, Rin had greeted Sesshomaru and joined him in the drawing room where she would talk with him until she was weary. He only allowed this because her conversation didn't irritated him like everyone else's did. She had settled into this habit easily enough (just as she had slipped into her new home,) so she was surprised when Sesshomaru informed her, a bit harshly, that he wanted to be alone tonight. He swept past her to the drawing room, snapping the door shut. Rin hesitated, unsure of whether she should disrupt him or not. He had never been angry with her and she didn't want him to be (even though she knew he would be when he discovered what she was.)

"Mr. Inutaisho?" Rin cautiously queried, poking her head in the drawing room. When he gave no response, she stepped in and closed the door behind her, sending him a concerned look. "What is wrong?" He flicked a look to her, but still said nothing. Rin sighed inwardly and sat on the couch across from him. He continued to be mute, before looking at her with a narrow-eyed look. She blinked.

"You are trustful," he cautiously said, "so I will explain to you why I wanted no companionship tonight." She inwardly moaned. Trustful? She was anything but that! "As I have told you, I inherited this company from my father. One of his business associates, Thomas Hatton, has come to me, asking for finances. I refused, as well as John Reynolds. The other major companies have agreed. I suspect, with his access to their finances, that he intends to bring them down." He paused, glaring at Rin for a moment, as though debating with himself whether or not to continue. Apparently deciding to, he continued, "He may be able to bring Reynolds and I down once he has all the money needed. He has set out a spy, but it's not yet been seen by Reynolds or myself. He came to me today and made quite a scene and said some things that have irritated me."

"And...and do you know if this spy has passed any information to Mr. Hatton?" Rin asked a bit breathlessly, her heart thundering in her ears. She could feel her world crumbling beneath her as Sesshomaru ignored her question, instead peering at her with his amber gaze.

"Rin." She knew it was a question even though he hadn't stated it so.

"I'm fine, just...startled. I never thought such things happened to wealthy people." She swallowed. "I'll...leave now." Without waiting for his assent, she spun around and rushed from the room. She had seen the suspicious look entering his eyes and didn't want him to look at her any longer, not when guilt and shame was washing over her so heavily. How had she not known that Hatton was so evil? She had seen those smug looks, hadn't she? Those dark gleams in his eyes? How had she not known?

_I could have caused harm on Mr. Inutaisho! _She thought as she slumped on her bed. She buried her face in the pillow as tears leaked out from beneath her eyelids. _I could have hurt him badly – and he's the one that's been so kind to me! What should I do now? What _can_ I do now? _

X

DIS: Ta-da! _J'ai finit! _I have finished! Well, now that Rin knows the truth, what will she do? Please leave a review on your way out telling me whether you liked it. I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Ciao!


	9. Chapter Nine

_Chapter Nine_

Rin sat at her window seat, her eyes reflecting the sadness that was washing up inside her. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, a tear sliding down her cheek. "My perfect world..." She whispered, her brows knitting together as she dropped her face in her hands. _If I had been oblivious...If I had continued this...What would have happened to Mr. Inutaisho? – To Sesshomaru? _She took a shuddering breath and raised her head, wiping her tears. None of them knew, of course, but today was her birthday. She was now fifteen. _Today is the best day to change everything, to make things better. _

The female went to the bathroom and stripped off her silk nightgown after shutting the door behind her. The nightgown dropped to the ground and she reached to pick it up, but then paused, staring at her reflection in the mirror in surprise. Abandoning the nightgown, she slowly straightened and moved towards the counter that had her feminine products: perfume, lotion, shampoo, and other needed things. Rin usually never looked in the mirror. She hadn't ever had the chance. She reached up to push her slender fingers through her mass of silken dark curls. Her face was unflawed with fair skin with high cheekbones and round, chocolate brown eyes that stared back at her with surprise in the mirror. She reached out instinctively to the mirror, but then her eyes moved down to her breasts.

"Don't ever let anyone touch you here, or here, Rin," Mayala told a twelve-year-old Rin, pointing to her budding breasts and the place between her legs. "Especially a man. He's not allowed to without your permission."

"_But how come?" Rin asked, her brows furrowing in confusion. "There's nothing special about those places..."_

"_No," the latter assured, her expression grim, "there's something special about them." _

_I never used to know about sex, _Rin observed as her eyes flickered briefly down to the triangle of hair. _I never had to, because I had Mayala and the rest of them protecting me. I wonder...will Sesshomaru protect me from those kinds of men? _She shook her head and stepped into the shower, closing the glass door and turning the water to lukewarm. _Sesshomaru, if he knew what I have been doing...he wouldn't protect me from anything._

X

Sesshomaru sat broodingly at his desk in his study. He would soon have to leave, but that hardly mattered with his current situation. His Rin was acting very strange lately. For the last two days, she had avoided him and spoke little. She had suddenly stopped meeting him when he came home. She was putting walls up around her and he didn't like that. Rin wasn't a recluse like she was acting. She was bright, beautiful, cheerful – not gloomy and depressed like she was acting. He wanted to ask her if anything was wrong, but her behavior towards him wasn't one that he appreciated.

With that thought, Sesshomaru's amber eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened slightly. He glanced carelessly at the door as it swung in sharply. It was Rin. _Interesting, _was his first thought, noticing that she was dressed and looking prepared to go somewhere this morning. Of course, as an older male, he shouldn't have noticed it, but she was looking particularly...nice...today. "Rin," he greeted mildly. Rin flashed a quick smile that he knew wasn't genuine.

"Good morning, Mr. Inutaisho," she chirped. "I have a very important letter to mail today. May I go to the post office?"

"Put it in the mail box," Sesshomaru grunted. "It'll be picked it up." She looked at him in surprise.

"What? Oh! No, no, I couldn't. It must be delivered today. It's a, ah, personal letter, anyway." In fact, Rin hadn't even written the letter. She didn't want to do it in the house just in case someone read over her shoulder or saw it. She was lucky to even be able to write, really. Thankfully many of the homeless people could write since the majority had simply had a life crisis of some sort. "Please?" Rin added a bit desperately. Sesshomaru frowned at her, then glanced back at his papers.

"Very well, Rin," he carefully said. "I don't particularly like you walking by yourself; however, it is only a short distance, so I'll allow it this one time. Be careful, though."

"I will, Mr. Inutaisho! Don't worry!" She started towards the door, relieved, but his voice called back to her.

"Rin." She turned back around. His expression neutral as always and his body relaxed, he made an elegant gesture for her to come to him. Her heart leaped to her throat and she swallowed, stepping into the plush azure carpet, her red slipper shoes making no sound on the ground. When she was in front of him, she kept her eyes to her feet. Rin started slightly as his fingers slid beneath her chin and tilted her chin up. She blinked, her lashes sweeping her cheeks. She knew it was nothing new to think, but Sesshomaru Inutaisho was an annoyingly attractive male. And perhaps that knowledge was what made heat fill her cheeks – that and the shame that she had once betrayed him and could have destroyed him. "You are well, I suspect?"

"Yes, Mr. Inutaisho," she replied softly, almost whispering.

"Then explain your behavior of late. I do not like it." His eyes turned to slits as he glared at her.

"I..." _I have no excuse, _Rin realized, staring at him with a bewildered expression on her face. _What am I to tell him? _"I'm...I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me..." His fingers dropped her chin, his long, sharp nails tickling the tender skin beneath her jaw.

"Go," was all he said as he returned to the paper work. Rin nodded quickly and hurried out of the room, shoving past Jaken who was entering the room. The imp gave an irritated sound, glaring after her. Sesshomaru steepled his fingers, a bored expression coming to his face as he observed the opposite side of the wall, that of which had a Claude Monet painting of a lake. A girl sat on the bank beneath a tree, reflected in the water that had soft, soothing blues in it. It was a calming picture and had helped in the past, but now, as Sesshomaru stared at the painting, he became even more frustrated. He had taken Rin in, hoping that he could improve her life. This was what he received in return? Something was going on and he intended to find out. "Jaken."

"Ah, Mr. Inutaisho?" Jaken queried, blinking his wide eyes at him curiously.

"Follow Rin. Find out what's happening with her." Jaken blinked again.

"Yes, Mr. Inutaisho..." Jaken left, puzzling over his boss's wishes. He never questioned Sesshomaru about some of the things he was requested of, but sometimes he wondered where the youkai's mind was at times.

X

Kagome chattered cheerfully to Inuyasha as they headed to the post office. Inuyasha rarely ever accompanied her to the post office since he thought it better just to put a letter in the mailbox. He always complained to her about trying to get rid of the only fat on her bones by walking to the post office nearly every day. Kagome, though, ignored his comments, like she had learned to in the past.

Inuyasha suddenly stiffened and Kagome looked at him in concern, ceasing her talking. They were in front of the post office with its glass windows and two-story, brick building. At the side of the building were two blue mail carriers with cars driving up beside them every once in a while. People weaved in and out of the post office. One particular person had caught Inuyasha's attention. He wasn't sure, but the young female that was standing in the post office, writing, looked very much like the one that had been in the magazine that Inuyasha had read in the café. There had been a picture, but it hadn't been the best since Sesshomaru hadn't allowed them very close and if they got close and were able to get a picture, he usually tore the camera apart. But Inuyasha was almost certain this was his elder brother's girl.

Inuyasha raised his nose to the air and narrowed his eyes as he gave a quick sniff. He could smell Jaken, Sesshomaru's faithful employee, near. And when he turned his nose to the building, he caught the girl's scent mingled in with Sesshomaru's, which suggested that they had been rather close to each other before she came to the post office. Jaken smelled of Sesshomaru, too, but not nearly as strongly as she. _Weird, _Inuyasha thought with a frown. _Sesshomaru would usually get closer to a youkai than a human._

"Inuyasha?" He blinked and turned to his wife, who was appearing concerned.

"Forget it," was all he said.

X

Rin finished her letter and glanced around nervously before peering down at it, her lips trembling with worry. It was straight to the point: _Mr. Hatton. I can no longer work for you. The money is not important. I don't want to hurt Mr. Inutaisho. You can find yourself another rat. Rin. _She folded it and sealed it in the envelope and pressed a stamp on it, letting out a breath. She moved towards the line, but bumped into a male that was somewhat taller than her. She blinked, raising her eyes to the narrowed amber eyes. Her eyes widened slightly as she took a step back. The male continued to watch her with a careful gaze that was abnormal in a stranger. _Those eyes look so much like Sesshomaru's, _she thought, never moving her eyes off his. Then a woman came up to him and took his arm, pushing him away, glancing at Rin in curiosity. Rin swallowed and hurried to a postman.

"Please. I need this delivered today," she said, staring up at the man with huge eyes that were begging with him.

"Well...I suppose we can manage that," he told her, smiling. Her own smile lit up her face.

X

Jaken frowned, watching as Rin exited the post office. Her eyes were downcast and her shoulders were limp. She seemed oddly distressed, but he couldn't see why. Was a friend of hers dying? But that couldn't be. She only had homeless friends, didn't she? _Honestly, _Jaken irritably thought, _what a waste of time. Who cares whom she's corresponding with? Why in the world did Mr. Inutaisho have me follow her? If he wanted me to keep her safe, why not just have me go with her? Why spy? Arrgh, who cares! What Mr. Inutaisho does is none of my business! _"So stupid, though," Jaken mumbled to himself, scowling.

"What's stupid, now?" A familiar voice queried from behind Jaken. The imp whipped around to see his employer's younger, hanyou brother, Inuyasha. It had been quite awhile since he saw him and was surprised that Inuyasha had even bothered to pay him any mind. When all of this had gone through his head, Inuyasha abruptly grabbed him by his head, glaring at him. "You'll explain to me what's going on with my brother. Now."

"Let me go this instant, worthless fool!"

WHAM.

"...I meant, of course," Jaken sputtered, a huge lump forming on his head, "that I'd be willing to tell you everything."

"That's what I thought."

X

Thomas Hatton grunted as his secretary tossed his mail on his desk the next day. He finished the document he was typing and then sighed to himself, sending a resentful look to the stack of mail. He gently stroked his mustache before undoing the rubber band around the mail and flipping through it, muttering, "They're only bills..."

He paused at the last letter, his brow wrinkling at the feminine curves of the handwriting. Ignoring the rest of his mail, he took out a small knife that he used for opening envelopes and tore the blade through the paper. Releasing the paper from its confines, he unfolded it and read the message briefly. "This cannot be...This _will not _happen!" He roared, slamming the letter down on his desk and rose to his feet, grabbing his cane. "Alice!" He snarled to his secretary. "Call my driver. Tell him to bring the limo out."

"The destination, sir?" She queried.

"Sesshomaru Inutaisho's company," Thomas growled, his eyes narrowing on the letter on his desk. Rin was the only thing that could get close to the youkai, Sesshomaru. Jaken, too loyal and stupid (at least in his opinion,) would _never_ be able to be of use to Thomas! _I won't let you go so easily, Rin! _He roared in his mind angrily. _I won't let you ruin all of my perfect plans!!!_

X

Jaken stood, hunched, by the divan in Sesshomaru's office. It was more for decoration than actual use since Sesshomaru never paused in his work to sleep on it. The divan itself was a bit too tall for Jaken to get on unless climbing onto something. He didn't dare try that. As he watched his employer work, he felt his heart drop to his waist. Inuyasha's beatings always made him spill everything out. He had been slapped more than twice for going off topic. Jaken felt a wry humor take over him as he mused to himself, _Both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru are violent. I suppose their father was like that, too._ He got slapped and punched by Inuyasha, and stepped on and kicked by Sesshomaru. He would never win.

"Jaken, where did you get those bruises?" Sesshomaru questioned in his quiet, calm tone. Jaken shuddered, hearing the words, "If you do not tell me, I'll add some more to your collection," lying underneath the youkai's question. But Jaken hesitated nonetheless. How would he feel about his hanyou brother – who he hadn't spoken to or heard of since he took over their father's company – being suddenly interested in what was going on in Sesshomaru's life? Somehow, Jaken had a feeling that he would get bruises from Sesshomaru either way.

"I, um, was shoved around a lot today," Jaken managed out. It wasn't necessarily a _lie_. Inuyasha had, more or less, shoved him.

"Hm..." Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed slightly on him in cynicism, but he wasn't given a chance to wonder whether he was about to be kicked across the room because Sesshomaru's eyes darted from him. The ocher orbs darkened slightly as he glared at the door. A sudden commotion erupted from outside the door, causing Jaken's sweating brow to furrow. Sesshomaru swept from his desk, gliding across the room to the door. Jaken grasped his Jinto-jo in his skeleton-like hands and hurried after Sesshomaru. When he appeared behind his youkai employer's legs, he saw Thomas and Sesshomaru's secretary practically screaming at each other. "What is this?" Jaken winced at the sharp edge in Sesshomaru's voice and slowly drew his eyes to Thomas.

The man was not his elegant self today, the imp noted. His hair, usually smoothed back, was sticking up at strange angles and his clothes were ruffled – probably from gesturing angrily at the secretary. His face, a usually handsome color, was a blotchy, crimson red covering his neck and his face up to his eyes. His forehead was still his normal skin tone, but glistening with sweat. Jaken knew then by the shaking of Hatton's hands, and his flushed appearance, that he was enraged. What he didn't know was _why_ he was in such a state of fury.

"Finally!" Thomas snarled at Sesshomaru, raising his hand that was gripping a crumpled piece of paper. "It's about damn time you came out here, you filthy youkai!"

"Leave," Sesshomaru ordered, ignoring Thomas's insult, turning to return to his office. Jaken followed, casting an uneasy glance at Hatton's suddenly smug expression. The ruddiness of his face was fading. "I don't have time for brainless humans like you."

"Is that right?" Thomas's cocky voice followed him. "You might not be saying that if you knew I had a letter from your _precious_ ward, Rin, here in my hands." Jaken nearly slammed into Sesshomaru as the youkai halted abruptly and turned his head the slightest bit to look at Hatton. "Don't take _my_ word for it. Read it." He moved forward and extended his hand with the paper in it with a flourish. Sesshomaru glanced at the paper and then at his enemy's face. Slowly, he turned around completely and took the paper, careful not to touch Hatton. The slightest hint of Rin's scent was on the paper and he knew by the handwriting that it was hers.

Jaken watched Sesshomaru read the paper and saw something flicker across his fair-skinned face. He read it again, more slowly, his eyes narrowed on the words written on the paper. Both Jaken and Thomas watched him and every movement he made. But Sesshomaru had no response to the ugly truth that he was being faced with. He continued to stare at the paper, even though he had read it enough times to know that she had been the spy Reynolds had warned him about. A horrible feeling of betrayal and anger rushed up to meet him. Before he could lose control, he clamped his teeth together and raised his eyes to meet Hatton's. He knew that his were nearly a ruby red by the nervous shifting of Jaken below him.

"Leave," Sesshomaru repeated his command from earlier. Thomas smirked and shrugged, running a hand over his thinning hair and sauntered away towards the elevator. After the elevator doors had shut on his haughty expression, Sesshomaru turned to Jaken and snapped out, "I wish for no one to disturb me." Jaken sputtered out pieces of words as Sesshomaru whipped around into his office and closed the door behind him sharply.

_What did the letter say? _Jaken wondered to himself, glancing at the secretary with an anxious glance. _What did Rin say to Hatton? _

X

Inuyasha flipped through channels on the TV broodingly, his thick brows brought down in a scowl. He kept replaying everything Jaken had said through his head. _Why would Sesshomaru just up and save a girl off the streets? _Inuyasha thought, his long-nailed thumb continuously jabbing an arrow button of the remote. _That doesn't sound like the older half-brother I know. It doesn't help when she's a _human_ girl. If Jaken doesn't know why Sesshomaru did something like that, then obviously no one but Sesshomaru knows. Hell, how do I know Sesshomaru even knows? What is it about that girl that's so special? She doesn't look barely sixteen..._

"INUYASHA!" He jumped and stared, dumbfounded, at Kagome who had stepped in front of the TV. "Stop channel surfing! If you're going to watch something, _watch_ something!"

"Fine, fine," he mumbled, settling on a game show. Kagome huffed and returned to the kitchen. _I wish I could just ignore what's going on in Sesshomaru's life, but this is different. There's just something about it that makes me uncomfortable. _

X

Jaken had returned before Sesshomaru, seeing as how the youkai had decided to lock himself in his office. Rin had greeted him with a false smile that had a nervous tremor to it. He didn't question her about it. He wasn't certain what was going on; however, he _did_ know that it wasn't his place to try and nose his way in. Besides, he didn't want to enter the conflict.

When Sesshomaru did come home, it was at the same time as usual and he was as expressionless as ever, but with a tension about him that had Jaken cringing inwardly. Rin hadn't come down from her room to greet him and though Jaken was slightly baffled at her behavior, he did not say anything about it. Sesshomaru didn't mention her absence, either. As soon as Jaken had greeted him, he fled from his employer.

The amber depths of Sesshomaru's were dark. That was never a good sign.

X

Rin shivered as she sat in bed, her legs brought to her chest. Jaken had come up earlier, asking her if she wanted anything to eat since she had never come down for dinner. From her place in the dark of the room, she had given a quiet, negative response. He had left her then and she had sat in her room, dreading the future. She couldn't understand why Sesshomaru hadn't up to her room yet except that he was either busy or hadn't noticed. The first she could believe, the other, not quite.

_He must know, _she thought, swallowing and hugging her arms around her knees tighter. _He must know what I did to him, who I was to Mr. Hatton. _She pressed her face into her knees, her mouth trembling. _I never knew. I just wanted to have a good life. I never thought it would hurt him! _

Her small frame froze, the shivering evaporating as fear soared up in her. The door, which hadn't opened since Jaken's visit, slowly swung open and closed quietly. Slowly, she raised her head and stared at the youkai. There was no expression on his face, but that was usual. It was the darkness of his eyes that made her begin to shiver again. He knew; and he was angry.

"So, Rin," Sesshomaru quietly spoke, gliding towards the bed, looming over her. Even after so much crying, tears pricked her eyes. She blinked to keep them at bay, even though her lips had begun to tremble again. "You are the one that is Hatton's infiltrator." He lifted a hand, his long nails gleaming in the moonlight. "I did not expect you to betray me."

"M-Mr. Inutaisho," she whispered, a tear leaking down her cheek, "I'm sorry. I...I didn't _know!_" More tears escaped, flooding down her pale, frightened face. She sniffed, pushing her face in her hands, whimpering, "I didn't think he would try to hurt you. I just thought I was getting information and that was all. I never tried to get anything vital, I swear I didn't. I never stole any company records or anything. He offered me money and I needed it to build myself a new life. I could have been happy." She paused, her shoulders shaking as she released more tears. "...But then...then you showed me so much kindness. I am already so happy! I didn't want to hurt you...I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Sesshomaru kept an impassive gaze on her as she continued to sob in her hands. Inside, his logistic mind was being confused with emotions he had never experienced, nor did he wish to further comprehend. Despite his earlier anger and betrayal, he believed her. The fury he had entered her room with was vanished at the sight of Rin sobbing. He supposed he could understand the logic in it. She had hardly known him when he first spoke to her and had been living on the streets. There was good reason for her to accept the offer, no matter what the circumstances. He wished he could be angry with her again. That was an emotion he understood. The one he felt now was one he didn't even have a name for – or refused to give a name to.

"Rin." She raised her head, biting her lip. He reached out and pushed her hair from her damp face, his face softening the slightest bit. "This Sesshomaru will forgive you this one time. There is honesty in your words. However, if you are to perform such a treachery again, I will kill you." She nodded jerkily. He carefully settled on the bed and took her in his arms. Rin blinked in surprise, but then pressed her face in his shoulder and sniffled pathetically.

"I promise, Mr. Inutaisho," she whispered, raising her face to look at him, "that I will never do anything to hurt you." He gave a brief nod, inwardly surprised at how she had worded it. A beautiful smile spread on her lips and she relaxed in his embrace, turning her head so she could look out the window. _That's a promise I'll never break. _

X

DIS: As usual, I'm sorry for the late update. I have been losing interest in the Inuyasha fandom. All you see when you look around is the same plot over and over again and it was just getting irritating. Not to mention, the same thing continues to happen in the anime: Kagome gets hurt, Inuyasha saves the day, Rin gets hurt, Sesshomaru saves the day. You can see why I got stuck on this fic for awhile. Nonetheless, I intend on finishing it – and fast. Only a few chapters will be left. Sorry.

_It is a fanfiction SIN to leave without reviewing! _Please review on your way out. Ciao!


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